Who I Am
by Julian Dimera
Summary: Who I Am takes place after Shorts 2. Please read Here For You, Shorts 1, Away From Here, and Shorts 2 before reading this fic. Chad, Will, and the rest of Salem figure out who they are and where they belong.
1. Chapter 1 Facing the Future

**Chapter 1: Facing the Future – Sunday, August 18th, 2013**

It was chilly for an August evening in Texas. Business was somewhat slow at the Moonshine Bar, but the jukebox still played Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton's _Just A Fool_ loudly as the entrance door suddenly opened.

_But who am I kidding?_

_I know what I'm missing._

_I, I had my heart set on you, _

_But nothing else hurts like you do._

_Who knew that love was so cruel (yeah, yeah, yeah)_

_And I waited and waited so long_

_For someone who'll never come home._

_It's my fault to think you'd be true (yeah, yeah)_

_I'm just a fool._

Celeste walked in with her purse closely guarded under her left arm. She looked the place over as she moved her platinum hair from her face. Sashaying to an empty table, she placed her purse on top of the table before taking a seat. She had her reasons for being there and figured she should set up first.

Rummaging through her purse, Celeste hoped she would find the necessary tools to make this go as smoothly as possible. A sudden rush came over her causing her to stop her search so she could look up towards the bar. At that exact moment, Chad walked out from the back making his way behind the bar.

Chad was completely unaware of Celeste's presence because he was too preoccupied with what he had accomplished earlier that day and what was expected of him at work. Spotting his friend and co-worker, he raised his hand to give him a high-five. "Alessandro! My man!"

Alessandro, a man in his late 20s, gave Chad a smile after slapping his hand. He ran his hand through his short dark hair and said through a slight accent, "I didn't think I would see you tonight."

Chad adjusted his sleeves of his shirt because they had ridden up since he put it on in his truck. He wondered if it was time he bought new clothes. "Yeah, I promised Velvet I would be here, and I don't like to break promises."

Velvet, an older woman, came from behind Alessandro with a questioning look. She owned and ran the Moonshine Bar and kept it alive after her husband suddenly passed away a few years back. "It's Sunday! One of our busiest nights because Monday depresses the hell out of everyone."

Alessandro patted Chad in the back as he informed their boss, "Chad had to turn in his last paper tonight. He is officially done with his undergrad."

"I had no idea," Velvet quickly shared giving Chad a look of disappointment and pride at the same time. She wished Chad had said something to her before so she could have at least baked him a celebratory cake. "So now that you're done with college, what are you going to do with your life? Are you leaving us behind in Texas?"

Chad thought over his plans for the future before shrugging his shoulders. "I'm not exactly sure yet. There's so much I still need to do."

Kelvin, another young guy who worked there, walked over to the bar from Celeste's table with a pen and pad in his hand. "Woman over there just wants some hot tea with a splash of skim milk," he informed Alessandro before turning to Velvet. "Uh, Velvet. I also noticed that the woman is playing with these weird cards – they look like tarot cards."

Alessandro looked the woman over first and joked with Kelvin, "That's not your mother?"

"You racist SOB!" Kelvin called Alessandro out. "You think we all look the same?"

As Alessandro laughed, Chad finally looked over and realized Celeste was the woman Kelvin was talking about. He couldn't believe she was there. Freezing for a moment from the shock, he observed that his boss did not seem too pleased.

Velvet studied Celeste for a moment before deciding, "I'll take care of it. I'd rather keep my bar voodoo free."

Placing his hand on Velvet's shoulder, Chad stopped his boss from going anywhere. "I will take care of it. I can handle it for you."

Velvet questioned why Chad volunteered to talk to the crazy woman but allowed Chad to do it for her. "Okay. If she causes any problems, send her to me."

Chad nodded his head and approached Celeste slowly to calm his nerves. There was so much he could say to her, but he realized he wasn't willing to share everything he had been through. He needed to put his guard up to make sure he approached this situation the best he could. Even with this understanding, Chad continued to struggle with one question: Why was Celeste in the bar he worked in Texas? Noting that she wouldn't look up at him when he finally arrived at the table, he asked, "What are you doing?"

Celeste remained focused on her tarot cards as she pulled three out to place them face-up. She hoped he would take note of them because they revealed what she hoped they would. "I'm reading my cards. A shift is coming. Won't you take a seat?"

Celeste's demeanor frustrated Chad because she didn't seem surprised to see him there. He gathered she definitely came there to talk to him, but he didn't have time for her games. Taking a seat across from her, he maintained some intensity in his voice while he quietly claimed, "You cannot do that here! Why are you in Texas?"

Ignoring Chad's question, she offered her own, "Have you had any more dreams, Chad?"

Chad took a deep breath before responding, "Yeah, I've had dreams, but I handled them on my own. They don't have the same power over me anymore." Returning to his question, he repeated, "Why are you in Texas?"

Celeste finally put her tarot cards away and placed them in her purse. "Why are you in Texas?" she echoed before acknowledging him with her eyes for the first time since he approached her.

"Fine. I'll go first," Chad caved. He was relieved she put her tarot cards away because he knew his boss was not a patient woman when it came to stuff like that. "I'm here because I need to be far from my old life – away from Will so I don't..."

Celeste swiftly grabbed Chad's arm to make him stop talking. He almost jumped out of his chair. "Chad, your reasons are no longer valid," she observed.

Chad looked down and exhaled calmly before simply stating, "I know."

* * *

"There goes Abigail and Ezra," Will stated as he pulled Sonny over towards them.

Sonny looked over the decorations that were set for the reception outside of the Kiriakis mansion. "My great-uncle really went all out for this." When they were close to Abigail and Ezra, he asked, "Did you two just get here?"

Abigail and Ezra nodded their heads. "Yeah, the wedding was beautiful and amazing," Abigail exclaimed.

Sonny agreed but joked, "I'm still getting used to the fact that Victor actually convinced Maggie to marry him." Everyone laughed as Sonny mentally took a deep breath. As happy as he was for his great-uncle, it was a bit of a struggle for him to enjoy himself. Fortunately, Will's presence made it easier.

Placing his arm over Will's shoulder, Ezra pulled Will close as he remembered something. "Hey, I want to run something by you. Would you possibly be interested in playing some indoor soccer this fall? I've talked to a few of the guys, and we're thinking of putting a team together."

Will pulled his arm around and rested it on Ezra's waist. "Let me think about it, and I'll get back to you."

Eric rushed over with his camera in hand instructing, "Everyone move close so I can take a picture." Will and Ezra continued to hold each other while Abigail and Sonny moved to join them. After Eric took their photo, he gave them all a smile and said, "Thanks."

Will patted Ezra on the back as he removed his arm from him. Heading over to his uncle, he questioned, "You're still taking pictures?"

Eric nodded his head. "Yeah, I'll catch up with you later when Maggie and Victor relieve me of picture duty. You're not leaving any time soon, right?"

Will shook his head. "No. I'll be here all night."

"Good," Eric let out patting his nephew on his shoulder. "I need to continue my rounds." Walking off, Eric spotted Kai, Melanie, Nathan, and Brady standing near the drinks. "Everyone say cheese."

Kai, Brady, Melanie, and Nathan grouped together for the picture. After Eric left, Kai turned to Brady and asked, "So did you have a date for the wedding? I didn't see you with anyone at the church."

Brady crossed his arms over his chest as he sighed, "I decided against one."

"I'm so glad you did because I wouldn't have been able to deal with Nicole if she was here," Melanie interrupted the conversation.

Struggling with the fact that people still gave Nicole a hard time, Brady bit his tongue and replied, "Yeah. I'm not dumb."

A bit confused, Nathan asked, "Are you dating Nicole?"

"We are just friends," Brady contended.

Wanting to move the conversation along, Melanie asserted, "I can deal with that, but let's talk about something more uplifting." She spotted Arianna walking by and quickly grabbed Brady's arm. "Look who's alone over there."

Brady removed his arm from Melanie's grasp and shook his head. "Melanie, you know I love you, but you really need to drop this fixation you have about me and Ari. We're barely friends."

Melanie grimaced because she didn't want to hear it. "But what about the fond memories we've made together with Ari?"

"Strip poker at the Horton Cabin," Nathan threw out there with a laugh.

"Exactly!" Melanie responded gleefully. "You had so much fun with Ari!"

As much as Kai wanted to hear more about the strip poker incident, he decided to help Brady out. "We're having fun now, aren't we?"

"We are," Brady said coolly while giving Kai an appreciative smile. "There's no need to talk about the past."

Arianna headed into the mansion and found her brother inside ending a phone call. "Manny, you have a moment to talk?"

Noting his sister's eagerness, Manny showed concern in his face as he questioned, "Is everything okay?"

Arianna looked across the room as she wrung her hands. "I don't know, Manny. Something needs to change. We need to plan something soon..."

"Plan something?" Manny inquired. He didn't like the tense look on his sister's face.

"For you, me and Dario," Arianna clarified. "We need to do something as a family. I feel like I see less of Dario as time passes, and it's just not right."

Manny's mood worsened as he reflected on his brother. Taking responsibility, he confessed, "I take the blame for everything because I am always working. I don't have the time I need to keep this family together."

Arianna didn't mean to make her brother feel bad, but before she could say anything, Bo and Hope came up to them. She hoped they couldn't pick up on their serious conversation even if the interruption annoyed her. "Is something going on?"

Hope shook her head. "No, we thought we would say hi."

"How's security looking?" Bo asked.

Manny looked at his phone and answered, "It's been a quiet evening, and I hope to keep it that way."

Maggie and Victor entered the mansion with Eric and tow because Maggie was set on taking pictures with all the guests. "Everyone gather 'round. We want to take a picture."

* * *

At the Brady Pub, EJ, Sami, Azzura, Johnny, and Sydney arrived after spending time together at the zoo. EJ and Sami had promised Johnny and Sydney they would have dinner with Caroline and hoped she was there to deliver on their promise. After Lisa said she would grab Caroline from the back, they found a table and sat down.

Turning to Johnny and Sydney, EJ raised his eyebrows and excitedly told his children, "It looks like your great-grandmother came out of hiding!"

Sydney gave her father a funny look. "Why was she hiding?"

Johnny decided to answer for EJ. "She was playing hide and go seek while we were at the zoo!"

Sami laughed at Johnny's response. "Oh really?"

As Johnny nodded his head with confidence, Azzura leaned back in her chair and reflected on the day. "It is strange how I have adjusted in feeling comfortable living in the United States. I never thought I would when I first moved here."

"It's been almost two years," EJ noted aloud.

Caroline finally walked out from the back and shouted in glee when she saw Johnny and Sydney. "Oh, it's so great to see all of you. Lisa told me you all were here for dinner, so I asked her to bring out some plates of pizza I had in the oven. I am experimenting with some new dishes and recipes for the lunch menu – that's why I didn't go to Victor and Maggie's wedding."

Sami stood up and gave her grandmother a hug. She questioned why Caroline would lie to them and then realized she had a very good reason for not going to Victor and Maggie's wedding. Caroline had a past with Victor. Trying to find out if her hypothesis was correct, she said, "That's odd. When I called the pub earlier today to make dinner plans, Lisa claimed you weren't here."

Caroline jumped a bit realizing she had been caught. With a serious look, she requested, "Please do not say anything to anyone. I went to the penitentiary to visit with Colin."

Azzura attempted to hide her surprise when she heard Caroline mention Colin's name, but there was a noticeable jerk in her head as she watched Sami's grandmother closely. She wondered if Caroline could be useful for her signora. They needed a new way to exchange words with Colin.

EJ scratched his temple and was intrigued that Caroline was still visiting Colin. He was aware of the fact that Bo and Roman forbade her from doing so. "We won't say a word," he promised.

* * *

Back at the Moonshine Bar, Chad tried to focus on serving drinks to the customers but struggled due to Celeste's continued presence. She wasn't playing with her tarot cards anymore, but every once in a while Chad would catch her watching and studying him closely. He knew a time would come when he had to completely face the choices he had made, but he didn't expect it to happen like this. Remembering how he went to visit his father for the first time in June, he reflected on what happened while he was there.

* * *

_Tuesday, June 25th, 2013_

* * *

Chad secured the door after walking into his father's room at the hidden and mysterious clinic. He took a deep breath and turned to look upon an unconscious Stefano. "I can't believe it," he whispered to himself as he reflected on the contents of his brother's letter. In the letter, EJ revealed Stefano was still alive and although it was great news to hear, Chad struggled heavily because he did not know what it meant for him. A part of him didn't want to know because he was set on running away. Yet, today was a different day. He was ready to face – albeit not completely – what he left behind when he ran away from Salem.

He remained distant from his father as he pondered what he had to do to get here. He looked Stefano over as tears began to fall from his eyes. There was so much he needed to say, but he doubted he could even say it all. "I never thought I would see you again. I never thought this day would come, and I know I messed up when I turned my back on you. I'm so sorry…"

Finally moving closer, Chad took a seat and grabbed his father's hand. "Come back to us. Come back to me, father…" he pleaded. "I desperately want to make everything right."

Chad waited for any kind of response, but he didn't get anything from Stefano. He questioned if his father was even alive and how long he had been here. If it had been the same amount of time since Chad left Salem, maybe Stefano was just wasting away. Suddenly, the door opened causing Chad to stand up and turn so he could see who had come upon him.

* * *

_Sunday, August 18th, 2013_

* * *

Alessandro and Kelvin interrupted Chad's thoughts when both slapped their hands on Chad's back. Chad jumped and almost dropped an empty glass. Luckily, his reflexes kicked in, and he managed to keep his grip on it. Turning to his friends, he chided, "What was that for?"

"Dude, where are you?" Kelvin asked. "You have been out of it ever since you talked to that voodoo lady."

Alessandro stepped in with a question he knew Kelvin wanted to know as well. "Do you know the voodoo lady?"

Chad put the glass down and cleared his throat. "Celeste is not a voodoo lady. She's my sister's mother."

"Your sister's mother?" Alessandro repeated to make sure he understood correctly. "Has the past you never want to talk about finally come back to haunt you?"

Chad looked down and scratched the back of his head.

Kelvin tried to get Chad's full attention by waving his hands in front of him, but Chad didn't respond. "Why do you always get awkward when we bring up your past?" Chad still didn't respond, so Kelvin threw out a question that was meant as a joke. "Are you gay or something?"

Chad finally raised his head and peacefully declared, "I'm not gay."

"Whoa, Chad. Why are you so defensive?" Alessandro jokingly called Chad out.

Chad put his hands down in protest and calmly claimed, "I'm not trying to be defensive about it. I just don't want to be labeled because I am more than any of that bullshit."

Before Kelvin and Alessandro could continue giving Chad a hard time, Celeste sashayed to the bar and caught Chad's attention. Keeping her purse close, she stated, "It's time."

Chad watched as Celeste exited the bar. Alessandro and Kelvin decided to go back to work leaving Chad alone behind the bar. After filling another customer's drink order, he thought about Will and wondered what he was doing now. A smile crept on his face as he imagined Will standing in front of him. Will's beautiful smile and his big blue eyes were enough to get Chad going, but what if Will couldn't smile at him anymore? What if things didn't work out as he hoped - as he planned? Looking over the alcohol in front of him, Chad felt the temptation to take a shot to relax his thoughts. After sighing deeply, he glanced over to his boss, Velvet, and questioned if he was really ready to do this.

* * *

Maddalena welcomed her grandsons in her mansion with a hug and kiss on their cheeks. After Dario and Ignazio explained they decided to stop by for a minute, she asked, "What do you two have planned for the rest of the evening?"

Dario placed his hands in his pockets as he shared, "Ignazio and I are heading back to the guesthouse to relax."

"How is it living in the guesthouse?" Maddalena pondered. She had asked this very question numerous times before, but she was always interested to know if they were living well together.

Leaning his elbow onto Dario's shoulder, Ignazio replied, "Dario and I are still having a great time there. It is our safe haven in many ways."

Maddalena watched Dario closely to see if he would agree. When she noticed the way Dario's face lit up after Ignazio said that she knew Dario loved his brother. Keeping her emotions in check, she persisted, "I do not want to keep you from your safe haven, so I understand if you two do not stay long."

Dario quickly responded, "I'm not ready to head back just yet because there's something I believe is really important that needs to be discussed."

Ignazio had no idea Dario wanted to talk about something. "What exactly?"

Dario hoped Ignazio would not put a stop to the conversation as he did in the past. He felt a close enough connection with his grandmother now and felt he could get her to talk. "I want to know about my dad – my father."

Maddalena was not ready for this exchange just yet. Trying to dismiss Dario carefully, she protested, "It is not the time to discuss my son. It is not important during this time."

Dario did not plan to let up. "Everywhere I go secrets exist. They exist to destroy families," he charged.

Impressed and pleased by the truth Dario had spoken, Maddalena resolved, "I will answer your questions to the best of my ability."

Dario smiled because he could see the love and respect Maddalena had for him. He knew she most likely remained quiet about André because she wanted to protect him from something, but now she had volunteered to answer his questions. "What was my father like as a child?"

Maddalena paused for a moment as she remembered André as a child. She almost lost control of her emotions but managed to keep her tears from coming out. "André was a very good child. I remember he would often come to me and tell me stories of love. He had a way of making anyone believe that love always won out – I suppose that was the innocence in him as a young child."

Ignazio was surprised to hear that about his father because he had never asked Maddalena that specific question. Even though he was intrigued by this new information, he wanted the questions to stop because he had decided long ago that he didn't want to know more about his father. In Ignazio's mind, André showed a great lack of concern when he walked away from him and his now deceased mother before he was even born. Grabbing Dario's shoulder, he insisted, "We should head to the guesthouse so our nonna can rest."

Dario was not finished though. He asked his next question, "Why did he change? What made him do the evil stuff he is mostly remembered by?"

Maddalena looked to the side and had to take another break before answering. After some time, she turned to Dario and looked directly into his eyes. "I believe it started when his father was taken out of the picture at an early age. It led to an imbalance in our home," she started. Her voice began to break as she continued, "I tried my best to make it better, but André became involved in some bad things, which ultimately led to darkness and his downfall."

"What kind of bad things?" Dario followed up.

Maddalena was having a harder time keeping it together because she did not want her grandson to be disappointed in her. She ignored Dario's question and continued where she left off. Her voice cracked even more. "Part of it was my fault of course. I wish I handled it differently. Maybe things would be different."

Seeing the toll this was taking on his grandmother, Dario realized he couldn't egg this conversation on any longer. Memories of how he pushed his mother before she died played through his mind as he apologized, "Nonna, I am sorry for bringing up the past like this. If you need to take a break from my questions, I understand."

Maddalena caught herself and adjusted her body, so she had more control. "Thank you. I apologize for my weakness in this conversation. I wish there was a way I could talk to you about this with strength and courage, but I fear I am not there yet."

Dario went to Maddalena and gave her a hug. "It must be something heavy if you still feel powerless about it after all these years."

Maddalena could feel the warmth from Dario's touch. Even though she had caught on that Dario had a big heart from the beginning, it still surprised her every time he was near her. "It is heavy, nipote. I hope to keep it away from you and Ignazio because I do not want you to have this burden."

Ignazio remained distant and watched as Dario and Maddalena had a moment. Even though he loved his brother, he couldn't help feeling jealous about their closeness. He wondered if Dario had replaced him.

* * *

After dropping the kids off at the mansion with Mary, Sami and EJ arrived at the Kiriakis mansion for Victor and Maggie's wedding reception. Making their way out to the garden, they found Will and Sonny talking alone. "Hey you two. How was the wedding?"

"It was..." Will took a moment to think of the perfect word to describe it. "It was elegant. Yeah. That's the word."

Sami looked the place over and nodded her head. "Of course it was. We're talking Maggie Horton and Victor Kiriakis here."

EJ leaned in on Sami and corrected her. "It's Maggie Kiriakis now sweetheart."

Nodding her head and smirking, Sami conceded, "You are right, but I don't think I will ever get used to calling her that."

Placing his hand on Will's arm, Sonny excused himself. "I'm going to look for Abigail and see if she wants to dance."

Sami watched and waited for Sonny to be gone before asking, "Did I offend him?"

Will shook his head. "Nah. Why would he be?"

"I just wanted to be sure," Sami answered. Moving on, she questioned, "So did we miss anything big?"

Will nodded his head. "Maggie and Victor have already had their first dance. Oh, and Abigail caught the bouquet."

Leaning into EJ, Sami commented, "That's the third one she's caught. Maybe she'll finally meet the man she's supposed to marry."

EJ gave Sami a kiss upon the cheek and joked, "Have you been keeping tabs on poor Abigail? You're not going to get involved, are you?"

Sami slightly rolled her eyes at EJ. "No. I don't think anyone needs romantic advice from me... well, except for Will here."

Will got nervous and stepped back to distance himself. "I'm good, mom. Thanks though."

As Sami gave Will a teasing smile, EJ stepped in to change the subject. "How is your internship in Chicago?"

Will got excited and shared, "Actually, there's a major star coming in. I've done a lot of work to prepare for that over the summer, and it's my last big project for my internship!"

Noting how Will's demeanor changed to a more open one, EJ wondered, "Are we allowed to know who the major star is?"

After checking in with his parents, Sonny finally caught up with Abigail, who was talking to Chelsea. "Hello ladies. Where are your dates?"

Chelsea took a sip of her drink before responding, "I considered bringing a date, but the guy I wanted to ask hinted he had plans already."

Abigail gave Chelsea a playful look while nudging Sonny. "I think I know who you're talking about. I bet Sonny does as well."

Sonny nodded his head to confirm he had an idea.

Chelsea kept mum on the guy and turned the conversation on Abigail. "Since Ezra is your date tonight, does that mean things are official between the two of you?"

"Ezra and I are only friends and co-workers," Abigail began before attempting to return the focus onto Chelsea. "We're talking about you and your guy though."

Stuck on Abigail's answer about Ezra, Sonny wasn't ready to let that go. "You're using your internship as an excuse not to pursue Ezra," he noted aloud.

Chelsea could see Abigail suddenly felt uncomfortable and decided to help her friend out. "What about you, Sonny? Where's your date?"

Sonny turned around and pointed to Will, who was still talking to his mom and EJ. "Will and I came together. I've really missed him," he shared with a smile.

Sitting alone at a table, Arianna kept her eye on Sonny, Chelsea, and Abigail. Dario was still on her mind, and she wondered if Dario was so distant because of Manny's proximity to the Kiriakis family. It probably didn't help that she and Manny also lived in a Kiriakis owned condo.

"May we join you?" Maggie asked as she took a seat. "My feet are tired, and I am ready to get out of this dress."

Arianna sat up in her chair and turned to Maggie and Victor. "I can imagine. I bet that even though it's been a long day, you're probably on cloud nine."

Victor took Maggie's hand and smiled. "I am. Today has been absolutely beautiful."

Maggie loved seeing the soft side of Victor and squeezed his hand. Turning to Arianna, Maggie shared, "Victor has said so many wonderful things about you, Arianna. I have to say I have witnessed your dedication and strength. I just wanted you to know that."

Though somewhat surprised, Arianna appreciated the kind words and chose to return the favor. "You are probably getting this a lot, but the wedding was really beautiful. It's great you two found each other."

As Maggie and Victor looked lovingly into each other's eyes, Melissa and Sarah walked over with Nathan, Melanie, and Nicholas. Placing her hand on her mother's shoulder, Melissa asked, "Do you want to go in and change into something comfortable?"

"Eric has finished with pictures," Sarah added.

Maggie nodded her head and gave Victor a quick kiss. "I will be down in a moment. My feet need rest from these heels."

Standing up with Maggie, Victor announced, "I'll go check in with Manny while you do that."

After Maggie, Victor, Sarah, and Melissa walked off, Melanie, Nathan, and Nicholas sat with Arianna. Putting on a smile as if she didn't have a care in the world, Melanie jabbered, "I love it when everyone can get together like this. It's nice to be around friends and family."

Nathan traded a glance with Nicholas as he took his wife's hand. He wondered if Melanie was thinking about Daniel because she seemed to avoid talking about him recently. "Yeah. I'm definitely going to miss my mom when she leaves in the morning."

Melanie continued sharing her thoughts to Arianna, "I think it would be great if we planned a dinner party soon at my house. You could bring Manny and Dario."

Arianna nodded her head as she began to feel overwhelmed about Dario again. "I'll try to keep my schedule clear for you guys, but I cannot make any promises."

* * *

Jennifer stepped off of the hospital elevator and examined the area in search for Lexie. Finding her near the nurse's station, she walked over and revealed, "I called ahead and talked to Maxine. She said your shift ended hours ago. I'm here to take you to the reception."

Lexie wrapped her arms to keep her lab coat closed as she claimed, "I can't go because I'm not ready."

Jennifer gently put her hands on Lexie's arms to make her drop them. Opening Lexie's coat, she revealed that Lexie was already dressed for the reception. "What are you talking about? You look amazing."

Trying to keep her wits about her, Lexie argued, "That's not what I meant. I'm not ready because I don't want to celebrate a marriage when I've lost mine."

Jennifer could see Lexie had been crying earlier and took her hand, so they could sit down. After they took a seat, she pulled Lexie close. "You've been thinking about Abe."

Lexie gave her friend a crazy look. "Of course. This week marks a year since Abe died, and I can't handle it. I feel just as confused about his death a year later. I don't get it."

Taking Lexie's hand again, Jennifer reflected on the fact that it had been almost a year since she heard from Daniel, but she had more important things to focus on. Her dear friend was dealing with a lot, and she wanted to do whatever she could to help. "I'm sure there are a lot of questions running through your mind, and I wish there was a way we could find out why Abe died. Maybe you need to take some time off again to focus on healing from your grief."

Lexie shook her head and disagreed. "I can't do that. As much as people like to say it, time doesn't heal all wounds. It doesn't get easier and there are times I want the world to end."

Jennifer's concern grew and became adamant in her response. "Lexie, I think you should reconsider taking time off. It may be beneficial. I'm worried about you. Are you taking care of yourself?"

Lexie sighed and took a moment to collect her thoughts and emotions. She had done so well in not allowing her depression to show through, but with everyone talking about Victor and Maggie's wedding, she was reminded of the anniversary she wouldn't get to celebrate with Abe anymore. That led to the realization that she would celebrate a new anniversary concerning Abe: his death. Letting go of Jennifer's hand, she finally maintained, "I cannot take off work. I need to think about Theo and his future. I'll be fine."

Jennifer sat there in silent defeat for a moment. She wished she could magically make everything better for Lexie, but she knew she couldn't. Remembering how her grandmother, Alice, used to help her during times of grief, she got an idea. "We don't have to go to the reception. We could go to the donut shop, drink some coffee, and eat fresh-baked donuts. What do you say? Let's get out of this hospital."

Lexie let out a deep breath and nodded her head. She wanted to get out of there and appreciated Jennifer for not pushing her.

* * *

At the Dimera guesthouse, Dario and Ignazio sat on the couch after spending time with their grandmother, Maddalena. Scratching his head, Dario voiced, "Nonna shared some interesting information about André tonight – even if it was limited. Why did you keep me in the dark?"

Ignazio had gotten over his jealousy with Maddalena and Dario's closer relationship. Reflecting on what Maddalena shared, he thought about the positive things he heard about André. He turned to his brother and answered honestly, "I wanted to protect you, fratello."

"Is there anything else you are trying to protect me from?" Dario inquired.

Before Ignazio could say anything there was a knock on the door. He stood up to answer the door, but Marco came in by himself. "Marco, what are your reasons for intruding this way?"

As Dario stood up, Marco informed them, "I am doing a sweep over the whole property and wanted to make sure you two were safe."

Giving Marco an interested look, Dario probed, "Is something going on? You have never checked in with us like this before."

Not wanting to say too much, Marco kept things vague. "Things may be changing soon, and I want to make sure nothing goes unnoticed," he shared before leaving.

Dario and Ignazio glanced at each other wondering what change could be coming.

Upstairs at the Kiriakis Mansion, Brady and Eric walked out of a bedroom and into a hall. "That should do it. When do you think you'll come by to do the photo shoot?"

Eric looked down the hall. "Maggie said she wants me to do all the rooms, so she can have a record of what they look like before they are renovated. I guess I will do it sometime this week when she and Victor are on their honeymoon."

Brady patted Eric on the back. "I'll make sure Henderson and Manny know. It's great you moved back to Salem in time for the wedding to offer your services at the last-minute since the other photographer didn't work out."

"Yeah, I am glad I could help out as well," Eric stated.

Scratching his cheek with his finger, Brady asked, "Have you talked to Sami at all?"

Eric shook his head. "Not yet. I know Sami and I will have to talk about our distance soon, but I want to hold off until I've settled in more."

"Good luck with that," Brady said as he raised his eyebrows. Motioning for them to head back down the stairs, he said, "I'm ready to head down if you are."

Eric looked towards the balcony and spotted Will standing out there alone. "Actually, you can go ahead. I told Will I would talk to him one on one tonight."

After Brady headed down, Eric walked outside onto the balcony. "What are you doing out here alone?"

Will turned around and smiled when he saw his uncle. "Oh. Sonny disappeared. I was looking for him and ended up here. It's nice to get some fresh air alone."

"Am I intruding?" Eric checked in with his nephew.

Will continued to smile. "No. I'm excited to have you back in Salem, and this is our first opportunity to really talk."

Eric smiled as well, and he agreed. "My first day back has been quite busy."

Will could see Eric was a bit overwhelmed by the events of the day. "I wish I could help you settle back in."

"It would be nice, but you'll be back in Salem in no time," Eric excused his nephew. "How is the internship?"

Will couldn't help but gush about his internship every time someone asked him about it. "It is amazing! I'm learning so much more being in that studio, and the producer has been awesome in letting me learn first-hand how everything works."

Eric enjoyed seeing Will so passionate about something. "I am still amazed at how grown up you are. Not that I ever doubted you'd grow up to be passionate about anything considering who your mom is. I just enjoy watching you live this life and grow from all the struggles."

"You do?"

Eric nodded his head. "Yeah. It's a great time for you to live through. Change is happening everywhere, and people are now more accepting of everyone. The Supreme Court ruled against DOMA in June, and that's great, right?"

Will quickly agreed with Eric. "It is great. It's wonderful really. Sonny and I sort of doubted we would see the day that happened."

Eric patted Will on his shoulder. "You are a great guy, Will, and you deserve happiness just as much as the next guy. How are you and Sonny handling it all?"

Will grabbed the back of his neck as he replied, "We're just taking it one day at a time and see what happens. Who knows? Maybe they'll legalize gay marriage here."

"Maybe," Eric let out with a grin.

Will looked up to the sky at the moon and marveled, "I finally feel better about my future. I know everything will work out as it should."

* * *

The Moonshine Bar was now closed. Chad leaned in on the bar and took a deep breath before heading over to talk to Velvet, who was looking over the jukebox. "Do you need help with that?"

Velvet looked up at Chad. "Yeah, I want to get this thing moved for Karaoke Night tomorrow."

"Sure." Chad helped lift the jukebox to move it to a different corner. "So are you only doing karaoke tomorrow?"

Placing her hand on the jukebox, Velvet answered, "No, we are also having open mic night." After plugging in the jukebox again, she put her hands on her hips and noted Chad seemed nervous about something. "I have a feeling you're not going to make any performances tomorrow," she said with some sadness.

Chad tried to keep things positive by allowing a small grin to appear upon his face. "I never have performed, but tomorrow will be different."

Taking Chad's hand, Velvet acknowledged, "I knew you were mine for a short time. I'm going to miss you, Chad Grace."

Chad's smile disappeared because this was harder than he thought it would be. "I'm going to miss you and everyone else here," he replied.

Velvet patted his hand as she questioned, "Are you ready to face your past?"

Chad shook his head because she didn't understand what he was doing. "No. I'm not facing my past; I'm facing my future."

Velvet beamed at Chad because of how far he had come since she first met him. With a nod, she shared, "I'm glad to hear that – truly. I think this is cause for celebration." Raising her voice, she yelled out so Alessandro and Kelvin could hear, "We're going to IHOP tonight fellas! We're celebrating Chad's exodus!"

Chad scratched the back of his head while giving Velvet an appreciative look. "You really don't have to do this."

"I know," Velvet quipped. "After you and the guys take out the trash, we'll grab some late-night breakfast."

Lowering his hand, Chad rushed off to help Alessandro and Kelvin with the trash. When they were outside with the trash, Chad decided he needed to say something to the guys about his leaving. "Are you guys going to be okay without me?"

Kelvin punched Chad in the arm. "Man, the real question is can you make it without us?"

Alessandro threw the trash in the dumpster and decided to share his thoughts. "I think you're making a mistake going back. You should stay here – with us."

Even though he felt guilty for leaving like this, Chad maintained, "I've waited too long for this." A sudden pull entered Chad's body causing him to look into the sky. Landing his eyes on the bright yellow moon, he reflected on his journey thus far. "It's time to move forward and make my future my present."


	2. Chapter 2 Too Late

**Chapter 2: Too Late – Monday, September 19th, 2013**

Arriving outside of his old apartment in Salem, Chad pulled out his keys and looked them over. An eerie feeling came over him as soon as he saw the front door. It looked the same even after his long absence. His thoughts returned to the last time he saw it. He and Will were leaving Salem after they discovered Stefano's body on the pier. Rubbing his face with his free hand, he thought about how he packed and drove straight to Salem after Velvet and the guys took him out for a late-night breakfast. He hoped he didn't look as bad as he felt.

Chad put his key in the doorknob and realized Will and Sonny never changed the locks after he left because he was able to unlock the door. Entering the apartment, he heard faint sounds coming from the back. He walked toward the kitchen/dining room and realized he heard laughs coming from Will's bedroom. He wondered if Sonny and Will were talking about something funny.

Once Chad arrived at the entry way, Will's bedroom door opened. Sonny walked out completely naked like it was nothing. Confused, Chad quickly hid behind the wall before Sonny could spot him.

"I could go for a round two, but I know we don't have time," Sonny exclaimed before entering the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower. If you decide you have a little time to have fun in there, join me!"

Chad felt nauseous thinking about what he just walked into. Why did Sonny just walk out of Will's bedroom naked? Did Will and Sonny just have sex? It didn't make sense, but there it was.

Fighting the devastation, Chad snuck out of the apartment quietly and managed to get out in the hall without making a noise. After placing his keys in his pocket, he shook his head wishing things were different. He didn't expect this to happen when he returned. Heading out of the apartment building, he questioned if he came back to Salem too late. He wondered if Will had fallen in love with Sonny.

* * *

At Salem University Hospital, Chelsea and Joselyn sat in Joselyn's office because Joselyn had new assignments for Chelsea. "So how many clients do you have for me?"

Joselyn looked the list over and shared, "We have nine new referrals this week. Of those nine, three of them are children. I know we're still building your caseload, so are you open to taking all three?"

Chelsea nodded her head. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever you need."

Joselyn placed the list on her desk and adjusted her glasses. "I'm happy you are practicing again and have chosen to do it with me, but I'm curious. We talked about your mother's wedding being in Salem yesterday and how Salem is home. Do you think you truly want to settle in Salem?"

Chelsea took a deep breath before admitting, "I wasn't so sure at first, but I grew up here. I realized it's always been home."

Near the nurses' station, Lexie caught up with Cameron and Nathan to talk about a few new patients coming in today. She wanted them assigned and figured she would give them to Maxine's son and Nathan. "So Dr. Davis, I want you to take Mr. Davola at noon, and Dr. Horton, I have Mrs. Welling at 1:15 in the afternoon."

"You said you had a third?" Nathan questioned.

Lexie looked over her list and came upon the last patient she needed to assign. Her name was Mrs. Washington – the same as Abe's middle name. Realizing the connection, Lexie froze as her thoughts proceeded to Abe's funeral. She managed to show strength then, but it felt like that was disappearing now.

Noticing that Lexie had spaced, a questioning look came upon Cameron's face. "Dr. Carver. Are you okay?"

Lexie didn't respond as she continued to think about Abe.

Nathan realized she had spaced as well and stepped in to cover for her. Taking the list from her hand, he saw the last name and charged, "I'll take Mrs. Washington at 2:30pm." After making eye contact with Maxine, who had also noticed Lexie's demeanor, he signaled her over to help him with Lexie.

Maxine walked over and placed her hand on Lexie's back. "Dr. Carver, there's something I need you to look at for me if you don't mind."

Lexie snapped out of her thoughts and nodded her head. "Yeah. Come to my office." She completely forgot what she was doing.

After Lexie and Maxine walked off, Cameron crossed his arms and mentioned, "I heard Dr. Carver's husband died sometime before I was hired. Do you think she's still dealing with it?"

Nathan wanted Cameron to move on and forget what just happened. "Don't worry about it, Dr. Davis. We should go look at our new patients' files." Directing Cameron towards the hall, he let Cameron lead the way.

* * *

"I'm guessing you are taking care of business on your end, but if you receive this before I try again, call me. We need to discuss father." EJ was on the phone and had just left a voicemail for Kate. Ending the voicemail by hanging up, he paced around the living room of the Dimera mansion thinking about Stefano.

Sami entered the room and greeted EJ with a kiss. She already spent some time with her husband earlier, but they were preoccupied with other things. "What do you have planned for the rest of the day?" she asked hoping they could have some alone time to focus on each other.

EJ held Sami for a moment before sharing, "Actually, I am not sure yet. I'll know more once I get to the office."

Sami pulled herself away from EJ and tried to think of the fun the family had together the day before to keep her spirits up. "It is Monday, isn't it?" she let out with a groan.

"Mr. Dimera," Marco called out as he entered the room. "I need to speak with you privately."

Sami glanced over to EJ after grabbing her purse. "I suppose that is my cue to head to the office without you. I'll see you there." After one more kiss, Sami left the mansion.

EJ was relieved Sami didn't ask any questions and headed out without pushing for information. Placing his hands in his pockets, he asked Marco, "Is this about my father?"

Marco nodded his head. "Have you heard anything new from Kate?"

"I'm hoping to talk to her today," EJ confessed noting Marco's concern. He had noticed it before and found it admirable that Marco seemed to care for Stefano as if he was his own father. Looking down the chessboard, he grabbed one of the knight pieces to look it over. He added, "Thank you, Marco, for your loyalty."

Marco slightly bowed his head and remained humble. "Your father has provided a lot for me and my family." He then shared, "There is something else you should know, Mr. Dimera. My sources are claiming there have been rumblings and threats due to Dimera Enterprises' discontinuation of illegal dealings."

EJ couldn't believe this was starting up again. He expected things to heat up after Dimera Enterprises went legit, but he thought with time everything would fall into place. Wanting some time to himself before heading to the office, he directed, "We can discuss that later."

Marco nodded his head and left via the back entrance.

EJ put the chess piece down and headed for the desk, but when he heard the front door open, he assumed his wife had returned. "Did you forget something, sweetheart?"

"Sweetheart?" Chad questioned as he walked into the living room. He was still spinning from what he discovered at his old apartment – though he managed to calm down somewhat due to his mind reminding him how things were before he left Salem back in 2012.

EJ was completely surprised to see his brother standing in front of him. "Chad? Is that really you?" he asked with a smile. Making his way over, he placed his hands on Chad's shoulders to make sure this was real. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

Chad managed to put on a smile because of the excitement that exuded his brother's body. "Yeah. I thought it was time I come back."

Noting the lack of enthusiasm in his brother's response, EJ inquired, "What's going on? You don't seem too happy about your return."

Not missing an opportunity, Chad swiftly requested, "I want to know what happened with Will while I was gone."

EJ smiled wider because he realized Chad couldn't stay away from Will. "What precisely do you want to know, dear brother?"

Chad thought he should ask a question before confirming his suspicion. Even though he assumed right away that Will and Sonny were having sex, there was one person he forgot about that could change everything. "Are Dario and Sonny still together?"

EJ's smile disappeared as confusion took over. "No, I don't think I've seen them together since Isobel Hernandez died almost two years ago. What do they have to do with Will?"

"I want to know how and when Will and Sonny got together," Chad narrowed down. With Dario out of the picture, his first assumption had to be correct.

Scratching his temple, the confusion remained as a curious smile crept on EJ's face once again. "Chad, what on earth are you talking about? Will and Sonny are not an item."

Chad pondered the possibility that Will and Sonny were keeping their relationship a secret, but that didn't make much sense because neither Sonny nor Will were the type to do that. He decided to expand on what he witnessed earlier. "I went to see Will first when I came back to Salem. I walked into the old apartment I used to share with Will and Sonny, and I overheard them talking about having sex with each other. They were in my old bedroom – the one I shared with Will."

EJ could see Chad really believed what he was saying and wondered if somehow he missed something. Sonny and Will did go to Victor and Maggie's wedding together. "When did you overhear this conversation exactly?"

Chad looked at the time and answered, "About half an hour ago."

EJ pulled his head closer as he denied the possibility of Chad's claim. "That is impossible. Samantha and I took Will to the airport, so he could head back to Chicago for his internship earlier this morning – more than half an hour ago. I don't know what you think you heard, but Will wasn't at his apartment. His flight is most likely landing in Chicago as we speak."

Stepping back, Chad thought the conversation over and realized he never heard the other person speak. He also realized he didn't recognize the other laugh as Will's laugh. "Sonny was with someone else then, but I don't understand why Sonny was in Will's bedroom."

EJ shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure, but you do believe me about Will not being there?"

Chad nodded his head. "Yeah." He returned to what he overheard in his old apartment but that wasn't important anymore. Needing more information about his ex, he asked, "Where is Will's internship?"

"Some recording studio in Chicago," EJ vaguely answered. He didn't know where it was located and even if he did, he wasn't sure if he should tell his brother where he could find Will.

"Can you look it up for me?" Chad requested as he grabbed his backpack from the foyer. Returning to EJ, he continued, "I need to talk to Will as soon as possible."

Watching his brother rummage through his bag, EJ wondered, "What is your plan?"

Chad pulled out a manila envelope and looked it over as he responded, "Don't worry about it. I'll figure something out, but I have a proposal for you to look over. I believe it can benefit Dimera Enterprises." Handing the envelope to his brother, he dismissed himself, "I'll be back. I'll call you later or something."

As Chad walked out, EJ became even more confused as he looked the unopened manila envelope over. He wondered how long Chad knew he was coming back. He questioned how much his brother knew of the family situation and the family business.

* * *

Will grabbed his bags in luggage claim at the Chicago International Airport. His feet were slightly dragging, and he desperately wished for something that would help him regain his energy for the day. Making his way out of the airport, he spotted Cassie waiting for him outside of her car. After putting his luggage in his aunt's car, they got in so they could leave the airport.

"How was the wedding?" Cassie asked her nephew hoping to get some juicy details on the family.

Smiling, Will replied, "It was great. Grandpa Roman asked about you and Rex."

Cassie kept her eyes on the road and commented, "Well, if he wants to know about Rex and me, he should come visit us in Chicago."

"Yeah," Will let out as he looked out his side window. He had heard Rex and Cassie's decision in not returning to Salem numerous times over the summer and didn't want to push buttons again.

After a moment of silence, Cassie turned to Will and asked, "Do you have time to grab a bite to eat with me and Rex?"

Will grimaced knowing his time was limited. "I wish I could. Unfortunately, I need to get back to your place, shower, and then head to the studio because Taylor West is arriving tonight to start recording."

Cassie patted Will on the leg in excitement. "I heard about that! Are you ready for the diva's arrival? I hear she can be a real bitch."

Will didn't want to focus on the negative. "This is my big project and my time to shine. I have to be ready. Nothing can go wrong while she's here all week."

Continuing to pat Will's leg, Cassie encouraged, "Well, I believe in you. I know Jay believes in you as well."

Will smiled and felt himself regain some energy. "Thanks, Aunt Cassie. I really appreciate all you've done – all your help in Chicago."

Cassie looked around for cars as she switched lanes. After she pulled over, she admitted, "It's nice to have other family around. I will miss you when you return to Salem at the end of the month."

Will nodded and agreed. "I'm going to miss you, Uncle Rex, and Chicago, too. Fortunately, we still have a couple of weeks." Cassie nodded and felt better about that.

* * *

At the Horton Town Square, Nicole and Jack were eating brunch while discussing a story they were covering later that evening. After taking a sip of her drink, Nicole leaned back in her chair, raised her arm, and basked, "You know what really surprises me, Jackeroo? How much excitement I get in being paid to be nosey and a gossip."

Jack sat up and argued, "I wouldn't call what we do being nosey or gossip. We are bettering the world by revealing the truth."

Nicole met Jack at the table and maintained, "I like my view better because while it is brutally honest, it makes it more stimulating."

Jack digressed and shook his head. "Let's just get back to work. You wanted to be outside of the office today, but you've been so distracted to really do anything." Looking the crowd over, he spotted Jennifer walking out of Mandalay Café with Abigail and Ezra. He wondered if he should say hi.

Jennifer smiled as she congratulated Abigail and Ezra once again. "I think it's great you two have moved up to _The Spectator_. Someone must have been really impressed by your work at _Salem U Newspaper_."

Walking up, Jack waved at everyone. "Hey. Fancy running into all of you here."

Ezra shook Jack's hand and shared, "Mr. Deveraux. It's good to see you."

Jack noted how Ezra seemed happy to see him and questioned why. "It's good to see you as well," he replied with less conviction as his counterpoint. "What are you all doing out here?"

"We were talking about the new internship we have at _The Spectator_," Ezra answered before commenting, "I hear you and Ms. Horton used to work there. I'm interested in hearing your experience if you have the time."

Jack looked at Jen as a sense of excitement came over him. "Well, it was an exhilarating time. I don't mind sharing, but to be honest, I am not sure if you have the time for me to tell you all about my experience."

Jennifer decided to keep her response simple to hint that they didn't have the time to talk about everything that happened. "It was so long ago. It had its ups and downs."

This was awkward. Abigail didn't want to stand there talking about her parents' experience at _The Spectator_ because it's where her parents fell in love. Trying to hide her discomfort, she asked a different question to change the subject. "Dad, are you working?"

Jack looked to the rear at Nicole, who was messing around on her phone. Turning back to the others, he replied, "It can wait."

Focused on her phone, Nicole looked through her menu to see if there was a way she could ignore certain callers automatically. She was tired of the abuse she was receiving from one of Misty Circle's biggest fans when he saw her on the news station about a month ago. Looking up for a moment to see if Jack was still busy with his family, she spotted someone else. Eric was heading towards her and she needed to act quickly. Dropping her phone on the table, she picked up the newspaper Jack had looked at earlier to cover her face.

Luckily, Eric walked by her without realizing she was there. Taking a breath, Nicole reeled over the fact that Eric had really moved back to Salem. She decided it was imperative she avoid him at all costs. Eric was something she wasn't ready to face – especially when her life was finally coming together. She figured he'd want to stay away anyway.

* * *

Sitting in his office at Titan, Brady looked at his watch and wondered what was taking so long. His next appointment was already fifteen minutes late. Before he could grab his phone, the door opened. When Melanie and Nicholas entered the room with brown bags in their hands, he stood up and stated, "I'm glad you two decided to show up."

Melanie and Nicholas placed the bags on a table as Melanie responded, "We brought food as a peace-offering for being late. We are so sorry."

Nicholas walked over to Brady and shook his hand. "With Victor on his honeymoon with Maggie, maybe we should have taken at least one day off as well."

As Brady walked over to check out the food they brought, Melanie watched him as she claimed, "This is a big day for me, and I don't want to hold off any longer."

Brady was pleased with the food but noticed there was something missing. Looking up to Nicholas and Melanie, he said, "I'll be right back. I'll grab napkins, plates, and utensils to eat while you two present whatever it is you have for me."

Melanie smiled at her brother while Brady left his office. "I told you it would work. Brady doesn't like to get messy when he's in the office – at least when it comes to food."

Nicholas scratched the top of his head wondering how his sister knew so much about Brady, but he also had his doubts on Melanie's plan. "Are you sure this is going to work? He's just going down the hall and coming back"

"It has to! I hid all the stuff Brady needs to eat, so that should buy us more time," Melanie exclaimed as she motioned her brother to stand by the door. "Stand watch. I know Victor and Brady know something about my father's whereabouts but don't want to tell me for some pointless reason."

Nicholas moved to the door and cracked it, so he could look down the hall in the direction Brady went. He glanced over to Melanie as she sat at Brady's computer and put in the passwords that he provided for his sister. Turning his attention back to the hallway, he whispered, "I hope we don't get in trouble for this. Even if you hid everything, we won't have much time."

Melanie began to look at different files Brady had placed on his desktop but couldn't find anything. She just needed proof that they were hiding something, so she could hack back in later. Moving onto other documents, she came across a file labeled _Investigation_. She double clicked the folder to open it, but it was password protected.

Nicholas spotted Brady walk around the corner and stepped away from the door. "He's coming! Get off now!" he warned at a lower volume so Brady couldn't hear.

Melanie was frustrated but managed to close everything and remove herself from Brady's desk before Brady walked back into the office. She didn't understand how he managed to return so quickly.

Pointing his thumb towards the hall, Brady commented, "I couldn't find the stuff I needed in the right place, but luckily I have my secret stash for whenever we run out. Are we ready for the presentation?"

With a smile, Melanie stretched her hands towards the ground and suggested, "How about we eat and enjoy this food? If we have time, I can present my idea for Titan."

Nicholas gave Melanie a frustrated look realizing she was choking on their plan. They needed to make this presentation seem legitimate so Brady didn't realize they were lying to him. Knowing he couldn't raise any other suspicions, he agreed with his sister. "I told Melanie you had a lot on your plate today, so we understand if you need to meet at a different time."

Brady pulled out the food and fixed a plate for himself. Sitting at his desk, he motioned for them to sit down. "I have time. I'm ready to hear your pitch."

Melanie took a deep breath and eyed the bags of food. "How about we grab some food as well," she suggested to buy herself some time. She wondered if she could pull this off.

* * *

Arianna arrived outside of the Dimera guesthouse and knocked on the door. She had received an update from Manny via text on his schedule and wanted to talk to Dario. While she waited, she looked the door over. It was definitely odd to be there as a visitor. Turning from the door, she wondered if Marco was around and if he knew she was there.

When Ignazio opened the door, Arianna didn't bother forcing a smile when she saw he had answered it. "Is my brother here?"

Ignazio wasn't sure if he should invite Arianna in or not. "He actually just got in the shower."

Arianna thought that was odd for Dario and asked, "Did he just wake up?"

Shaking his head, Ignazio informed her, "No. He has been awake for some time. He went to the gym alone and only returned not too long ago. Would you like to come in and wait?"

Arianna nodded her head and entered the guesthouse. Looking it over, memories returned of when she lived there with her mother. "Does he go to the gym a lot?" she offered making small talk.

Ignazio didn't particularly want to talk to Arianna but figured he should humor her. "He does actually. I try to tell him to go to the gym with me at Dimera Enterprises, but he goes at random times and prefers his own gym."

Arianna's eyelids almost covered her eyes completely as she claimed, "That really doesn't sound like _my_ brother at all."

Noting the emphasis Arianna put on _my_, Ignazio chose to question her feelings directly. "Arianna, do you have any reservations against me? I know you are upset with EJ, but I have done nothing wrong to you or _our_ brother."

Arianna shook her head at Ignazio and gave him an honest answer. "Look, Ignazio. I know you don't want to deal with me either. If we had our way, the other would be out of Dario's life."

Studying everything Arianna was showing him, Ignazio released a smile on his face. "I like that you are forthcoming. It's a trait I appreciate."

"You're trying to read me," Arianna glared at Ignazio. "Stop it."

Dario exited the bathroom in only a towel whistling. He quickly stopped when he saw Arianna standing there. "Arianna, why are you here?"

"She's here to talk to you," Ignazio answered for her. "I will let you two have your privacy," he said before he entered one of the bedrooms. He purposely left the door cracked so he could eavesdrop.

Dario made sure his towel was on tight as he walked closer to his sister. "Is something wrong?"

Arianna immediately shook her head but stopped. "I'm not sure," she admitted as she reflected on Ignazio. Deciding she didn't want to put her brother off, she said, "Forget that. I came over because I want you to join Manny and me at our place for dinner Tuesday night. Manny has the night off since Victor is gone for his honeymoon and Brady said he didn't need him there."

Dario crossed his arms on his chest and figured there was no harm in dinner. "I'll be there. Can Ignazio come?"

Arianna cringed internally because Dario was so attached to Ignazio. "I'd rather he not," she answered truthfully. "Is that a deal breaker for you?"

Dario uncrossed his arms and grabbed his shoulder. "No. I'll be there."

From inside the bedroom, Ignazio shook his head in disappointment. He was not pleased and wondered why Arianna and Manny wanted to have Dario over for dinner without him. He knew they were up to something.

* * *

Back at Will and Sonny's apartment, Sonny walked out of his bedroom clothed with a smile on his face. As he made his way to the end table in the living room, he grabbed his keys, so he could head out. When he approached the door, he stepped back when Chad walked in. "Chad?" he let out in complete shock. "What... why are you back?"

Chad stepped forward and pleaded with desperation, "I need your help now, Sonny."

Sonny froze.


	3. Chapter 3 Lose Yourself

**Chapter 3: Lose Yourself – Monday, August 19th, 2013**

Sonny stood in his apartment frozen for a moment because he never thought he would see Chad standing there again. His thoughts returned to the last time he saw Chad in the apartment. He, Chad, Dario, and Will had just returned from a night at the Horton cabin to find his parents with Arianna and Manny to deliver the horrible news that Isobel had died. The sadness of that day and the days that followed hit him hard and almost rendered him motionless. Escaping his memories, Sonny shook his head as he continued to stare at his old friend. It was such a complete surprise; he could barely make out that Chad had actually said anything to him.

Somewhat impatient, Chad clapped his hands in front of Sonny's face and asked with an assured smile, "So are you going to help me?" He was confident Sonny would give him what he needed to best approach Will when he saw him again. Sonny was always so helpful in helping him with Will.

Sonny snapped out of the shock but didn't answer Chad's question. Instead, he asked, "What's with your sudden reappearance in Salem?"

Chad sighed and scratched his head. "I don't have time to talk about that because I need your help with Will."

Becoming offensive, Sonny gave Chad an unimpressed look. With an overtly confused tone in his voice, he let out with clear frustration, "You are really standing in front of me asking me to help you with Will? What the hell is wrong with you? Who do you think you are?!" He didn't stop there though. Moving closer to Chad, so his old friend could feel the anger from his body, he continued, "You have made so many wrong decisions and have proven to me and everyone else here in Salem that you are a terrible person who is extremely untrustworthy! There is no way in hell I am helping you hurt Will again. Will is so much better without you!"

Chad stepped back unsure of how to respond to Sonny's anger. After the warm welcome from his brother, EJ, this was the last thing he expected from Sonny – someone he considered to be a dear friend. He looked down for a moment before returning to his reason for coming to Sonny. With deep sincerity, he asked, "Is Will seeing anyone?"

Sonny placed his arms across his chest and sternly replied, "I refuse to answer that question. You should lose your keys to this place, or Will and I will replace the locks!"

It was Chad's turn to feel stunned. He rubbed his forehead because Sonny was so upset with him and didn't seem to want to let go of it. Chad didn't have time to fix this, but he knew he needed to try something, so he could get information about Will. "Sonny, I know I messed things up, but I have changed. I will make everything up to Will."

Sonny didn't give Chad's claims much thought and continued to call his onetime friend out. "You are so selfish, Chad. You think you have changed, but as I look at you, I don't think you have. I thought _we_ were friends, but you haven't even asked me how I am doing. You haven't stopped to ask one thing about me – one thing! We haven't seen each other in over a year! It's all about what you need or want! It's all about you like it's always been!"

Chad took a moment to collect his thoughts because he was starting to get the idea that Sonny hated his guts. His mind was on over drive because of the surprising response. Swallowing hard, he remembered what he walked into when he first arrived in Salem and reflected on his conversation with EJ about it. He believed he had the question for Sonny to show he was still interested in being his friend but didn't have time to filter his thoughts. "Who are you having sex with these days since you and Dario didn't work out?" he let out realizing it came out wrong as soon as he said it.

Sonny immediately jumped on Chad verbally. "What? Did you seriously just ask me that question?" he scoffed rightfully defensive. He couldn't believe Chad could be so rude towards him. "You cannot fix this," he warned, "and I won't help you with Will!"

Chad shook his head feeling disappointed in himself for the way he was mishandling this situation. He figured asking Sonny why he was having sex in Will's bedroom would only make things worse at this point. Trying to get something from Sonny, he sincerely requested, "I only need to know what Will's favorite song is now."

Sonny shook his head in disbelief and made his way to the front door. After opening it, he yelled, "Get lost! I need to head out, and I don't want you here when I leave!"

Chad hesitated for a moment but conceded there was no calming Sonny at this point. Sonny was completely and unexpectedly different. Walking out of the apartment and towards his car, Chad recognized coming back to Salem was harder than he anticipated. He wondered who else he lost from leaving and hoped Will would give him a chance to explain everything.

* * *

Working in her office at Dimera Enterprises, Sami wondered if this would be her life now – employed busily at the office and then spending time with the kids after work. Her time alone with EJ was limited because it seemed he was always in a meeting or on his phone during her available times. She thought things would calm down once EJ stepped down as mayor, but things seemed to be busier than ever. Hearing a knock on the door, Sami looked up and raised her voice to say, "Come in."

Maddalena entered Sami's office causing Sami to stand so they could greet each other properly. After kissing Sami's cheek, Maddalena inquired, "EJ is not in his office. Do you know where I can find him?"

Sami wondered why EJ hadn't arrived yet. "I believe he is on his way. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Maddalena shook her head. "I only need to talk to him about the family."

"I'm family," Sami reminded Maddalena before persisting, "I can help you with whatever you need to talk about."

Looking Sami over for a moment, Maddalena paused before admitting, "I truly admire your spirit, Sami, but I need to talk with your husband privately."

Sami returned to her chair and tried her hardest to hide her disappointment. This was already the second time of the day where someone needed to talk to her husband privately. The lingering thought of EJ keeping something from her bothered her more and more.

Stepping off the elevator, EJ looked at the time realizing he had arrived later than he wanted. He felt out of sync due to his brother's return and hoped he could refocus on what he needed to accomplish in the office. His thoughts couldn't escape the questions running in his head though. Did Chad know anything about the family situation? Even though he didn't mention what happened to Abe or Stefano, did Chad know anything about them? Walking into Sami's office, he stopped near the door because his aunt was there.

Maddalena was pleased to see EJ and gave him a smile. "EJ, I would appreciate your time. There is something we must discuss alone in your office."

When EJ nodded his head, Sami stood up again to call out to her husband before he left. "Please come back after you're done because I want to talk to you."

Chad. EJ wondered how Sami would take the news of Chad's return but chose not to say anything just yet. He figured he should set a few things up before he said a word to his wife about his baby brother. Knowing Chad's return put a lot more on his plate, EJ replied, "I will try. I have a lot to do."

Sami took her seat again as EJ led Maddalena out. She felt a tad rejected by EJ and wondered if he had any clue of how he was making her feel.

Once they were in his office, EJ offered his aunt a seat before taking his own behind his desk. "I take it you want to discuss my father."

"Correct," Maddalena began. "I am curious to know if you've thought what our family will do since Stefano is not showing signs of awaking." Waiting for her nephew's response, she pondered the fact that the solution was working longer than expected. She had managed to catch a break there.

EJ pulled out his phone to make sure he had no missed calls. "I haven't decided," he said with his eyes focused on his cell. "I tried to call Kate earlier and left a voicemail. I'll try calling her again soon, and hopefully I will know more afterwards."

Maddalena nodded her head. "Very well. What of the police investigation? Is anyone working towards finding the real culprit who framed Stefano?"

EJ gave his aunt an uneasy look. "Unfortunately, I am no longer privy to all the information since I am not the mayor of this town anymore. I have scheduled a meeting with Roman Brady and Arianna Hernandez at the beginning of next week. I will possibly know more then."

Maddalena gave EJ a smile even though she was not pleased by the lack of movement in regard to her brother. She knew her time was limited and wanted to make sure something happened to her brother before he got the chance to reveal everything. "I will take my leave for now, nipote. Please give me an update after you talk to Kate."

After Maddalena left, EJ eyed his phone once more and decided to try Kate again. Putting his phone to his ear after dialing, EJ was relieved when Kate picked up. "Kate. Did you get my voicemail? How is father doing?"

"I was just about to listen to it," Kate shared before continuing, "I was in a meeting. There haven't been any big changes, but his body continues to show signs he is indeed alive."

EJ was relieved to hear that. "I'm glad that is still the case."

Kate agreed before lamenting, "I wish Stefano hadn't locked me out because maybe I could have stopped him from trying to leave Salem that night."

EJ knew his father well. "No one could convince him to stay because his mind was already made up. Is there anything else happening on your end?"

"I am keeping an eye out for everything," Kate claimed. "I haven't been able to uncover anything substantial though."

EJ sighed as he picked up a folder. He hoped his father would have made more progress by now. "Thank you Kate for being there with him. I know I can trust you to look out for him."

Kate let out a sigh deciding not to share her suspicions aloud. Reflecting on her long and complicated history with Stefano, she confessed, "I don't know how your father did it, but he has me completely. I won't ever let go of him."

* * *

After running into each other at the Horton Town Square, Jen and Jack arrived at the hospital together. Jack followed Jen over because he needed to talk to Joselyn in person and work on a few things. "Hopefully Joselyn will be okay with my rescheduling our therapy appointment. I really need to follow-up on a story."

Jennifer gave her ex a concerned look as she questioned, "Are you putting the story before your health?"

Jack shook his head and waved his hands to dismiss the notion. "No. I have been in therapy for a year, and I feel great. I think it's almost time to stop individual therapy actually," he claimed.

Having overheard Jack as she walked towards him with Chelsea, Joselyn asked, "Do you really think you're ready?" She quickly realized her mistake and apologized. "I should not have asked you that question. How about we head to my office, so we can talk privately?"

Jack nodded his head and left with Joselyn.

Before Chelsea could walk away, Jen grabbed her hand and requested, "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure," Chelsea gladly obliged.

Jennifer gave her daughter's best friend an appreciative look. "I work in this hospital, but I honestly don't know much about Joselyn. Would you consider her a good therapist?"

"I think so," Chelsea responded. "I haven't worked with her that long, and I'm still getting to know her, but she seems committed and professional."

Jennifer was glad to hear that but still had questions. "I've actually tried to get to know her, but she seems to keep me at bay."

Chelsea pulled her hair behind her ear before pointing out, "Well, Jack is her client. Maybe she wants to make sure to keep good boundaries and avoid any kind of complicated dual relationship."

Jennifer nodded her head and agreed with Chelsea. "I never thought of that. That's a really good point."

In Joselyn's office, Jack chose to remain standing as he informed his therapist, "I want to reschedule."

Joselyn paused for a moment to study Jack. "I wonder if you'd rather take the week off and reconvene next week."

Jack took a moment to think as well. "This week feels like it is busy, and I feel like I am doing well. Do you think it's time to bring in the family for sessions?"

"I told you I would be ready when you wanted them to come in," Joselyn reminded Jack. "It's up to you."

Jack nodded his head and decided, "How about I take a week and let you know at our next session. I'll also think of some new personal goals."

Joselyn gave Jack a smile as she shared, "You're a pro at this therapy business now, aren't you?" After Jack returned her smile and added a nod, she suggested, "Next time you want to cancel or reschedule, you can just give me a call. You didn't have to waste a trip up here to tell me face to face."

"I know," Jack replied. "I didn't come only to talk to you. I have a follow-up on a story here, and that is why I asked to reschedule."

Standing up from her seat and adjusting her glasses, Joselyn put her hand out and stated, "That's good then. I will talk to you next week."

Jack shook Joselyn's hand and left.

* * *

Lexie arrived home and threw her purse on the couch. Rubbing her head, she decided to take some medication that would help calm herself down. She wondered why she was having a harder time functioning through the day and knew others were noticing because Maxine suggested she take the rest of the day off. "I need to do something different," she whispered to herself.

After drowning the pills with a glass of water, she placed the bottle back in her purse when she heard a noise come from the kitchen. She looked around the living room to notice if anything was out of sorts, but everything seemed normal. Heading into the kitchen, her jaw dropped when she saw her mother making tea. "Mom, what are you doing here?"

Celeste almost jumped because she didn't expect Lexie to come home so early. Trying to keep things calm with her daughter, she answered, "It is time I return to Salem."

Lexie was not okay with how nonchalant Celeste was about this and showed it through the anger in her voice. "You think it's time? Mom, you went MIA when Theo and I needed you most!" The meds clearly hadn't set in yet.

Celeste slightly lowered her head in remorse. "I apologize, darling. I had some things I needed to give my full attention."

"What was more important than your family?" Lexie demanded with even more anger in the tone of her voice.

Celeste turned off the stove because the water for her tea had heated. "Alexandra, my reasons for being away had to do with the family."

Unsatisfied, Lexie commanded, "Give me specifics."

Celeste felt uneasy with this conversation and tried to let her daughter down gently as she claimed, "The time is not right, darling. You must trust me on this."

Lexie let out a huge sigh of frustration and shook her head in disappointment. "I don't have time for this, mom. I really don't. I came home early to take a nap, so that is exactly what I am going to do. When you're ready to talk, I'll _try_ to be available."

Celeste watched as her daughter stormed out of the kitchen. She exhaled deeply and hoped she would be able to talk to Lexie soon. After pouring herself a cup of tea, she grabbed her purse to search through it. Finding a crumpled piece of paper, she straightened it out as she spoke to herself, "Everyone will discover the truth soon enough."

* * *

Back at Dimera Enterprises, Sami was still in her office. She had finished some paperwork and looked at the time. Standing up, she pulled back her hair and grabbed her purse, so she could take her lunch break. EJ never returned, and she was upset with him about it because it seemed she wasn't important enough to her husband anymore.

Heading out of her office, Sami ran into EJ, who was about to walk into her office. She stopped in her tracks and looked down to avoid making eye contact with him.

EJ sensed Sami's discontent and apologized. "I should have come sooner."

"I'm over it," Sami stated. "I'm grabbing lunch _alone_, so I will talk to you when I'm ready to talk again."

EJ tried to stop Sami, so they could talk, but Sami did not allow any time for him to do so. He watched her walk down the hall towards the elevators and contemplated how he would fix this. "There are too many secrets," he lamented before turning around to head toward his office.

Arriving to his door, Ignazio and Dario approached EJ because they were waiting outside of EJ's office. "What needs to be done today, cugino?" Ignazio asked.

EJ shook his head after placing his right hand on his forehead. "I completely forgot I asked you two to come in today," he admitted. His brother's return had really thrown him. "Follow me into my office, so I can tell you what I want you to do. Do you two want lunch? I can order in."

Dario and Ignazio replied they were open to lunch because they hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. After sitting down, Dario glanced over to Ignazio and wondered what EJ would have them look over today. He was still getting used to working in a business setting. Turning to EJ, he asked, "What are you ordering?"

EJ pulled out his phone as he answered, "I'm thinking Chinese or Thai."

"I vote Thai," Ignazio offered his input.

All of a sudden, Chad burst through EJ's office door exclaiming, "EJ, I need a favor." His brother had already delivered on the address, but he needed something else from him now.

Ignazio and Dario were both shocked to see Chad standing before them. Ignazio wondered how long Chad had been in town because EJ didn't seem surprised at all. He knew he needed to inform Maddalena but couldn't do it just yet.

Chad continued, "I need the Dimera jet, so I can head out to Chicago as soon as possible."

Seeing his brother before him again reminded EJ of the proposal Chad handed him at the mansion. He quickly pulled out a pad of paper and wrote a phone number on it. Handing it to his brother, he said, "You can have it. This is the number you need to talk to our pilot. Good luck."

Chad gave his brother an appreciative smile and turned towards the others hoping they weren't upset to see him. "I'll catch up with the two of you when I'm back."

With Chad out of the room again, Ignazio turned around in his chair thinking of ways he could tell his grandmother about Chad. He needed an excuse to get out of there and believed he had one. "Since you forgot we were coming today, maybe we should just work tomorrow. You have not ordered lunch yet."

EJ opened his briefcase and pulled out the manila envelope Chad handed him at the mansion earlier. "Actually, I have something special for you and Dario to look over." Handing the envelope to the guys, he announced, "This is a proposal my dear brother handed me when he arrived in Salem today. We can look it over and discuss it over lunch."

Dario, who was also curious about Chad's return, pulled out the contents from the envelope. He wondered if the proposal contained information on why Chad would come back to Salem. Once he looked over the pages, a smile crept on his face. "Is this for real?"

* * *

Abigail and Ezra decided to stop at the Brady Pub for lunch. On their way in, they ran into Dustin, one of Will's Kappa brothers. Abigail immediately recognized him and greeted him. "Hey Dustin. Looks like you had the same idea as Ezra and me. Want to join us?"

Dustin, who was waiting for his order, politely declined, "I wish I could, but I have some Kappa stuff I need to do, and I'm meeting Brett on campus with take out."

Ezra's face lit up when Dustin mentioned Brett. "Brett as in, Horton's music major friend, Brett?"

Dustin nodded his head to confirm he was meeting _that_ Brett. "Yeah. We decided to try things out about a month ago."

Ezra was really happy to hear that. He had hoped having Will join Kappa would help Dustin feel more comfortable about what he was experiencing. "That's great man. How is all that going?"

Dustin was still getting used to the idea of dating a guy and didn't want to make it a big deal. He decided to focus on what was happening with Kappa. "All the guys still miss you, Ezra, but we're excited for what's coming this year. Will is VP."

Ezra nodded his head with pride. "Yeah, I know. I think that's great, and I'm proud of Horton because he's stepped up so much."

Abigail felt proud of her cousin as well. "I know you helped him out."

Caroline walked out with Dustin's order and handed it to him. "There you go, Dustin. Did you get to see Will this weekend?"

Looking through his bag to make sure he got everything, Dustin answered, "Yeah, I hung out with him for a bit on Saturday at the Kappa house." After closing the bag again, he gave Caroline a smile. "Everything smells great, Mrs. Brady."

Caroline gave Dustin a warm smile. "I hope you and your friend enjoy it."

"Well, I should go," Dustin announced before turning back to Abigail and Ezra. "I'll see you two around."

Caroline looked at Abigail and Ezra and grinned. "It's great to see you two here again. Do you two want your usual?" She really loved it when Will's friends came to the pub.

Ezra looked to Abigail before nodding his head. "Sounds good, Mrs. Brady."

Caroline was about to head back to the kitchen but stopped in her tracks. Placing her hands on her hips, she joked, "When are you going to make things official between you and Abigail, Ezra? You two come here together a lot!"

Abigail immediately blushed but also responded just as fast. "Ezra and I are just friends."

Caroline turned to Abigail and responded matter-of-factly, "Well, people who are married to each other are allowed to be friends, too." After giving both a wink, she headed off.

Ezra raised his eyes to Abigail and wondered how she felt about the whole exchange. He knew how he felt about it.

* * *

At the recording studio in Chicago, Will rushed around trying to make sure everything was in order before Taylor West arrived. Jay Yang, the producer and owner of the studio stopped Will because he needed to talk to him. "What happens tonight and the rest of the week is extremely important for the future of my studio. I hope nothing goes wrong while Taylor West is here. Please be open and prepare for anything she wants."

Will felt even more pressure now but managed it so it did not show on his face. "I understand, Jay. I've prepared for this week since I started my internship here. My priority is to give my best every second she's in Chicago."

A man walked through the door and introduced himself. "My name is Kahn Swift, and I'm Taylor West's personal assistant. I'm here to make sure everything is in order before Taylor arrives."

Jay shook Kahn's hand as he introduced himself and Will. Moving on, he directed, "Will, how about you show Mr. Swift around so he knows where everything is."

Will nodded his head but took Jay to the side to reaffirm everything was in control. "I promise nothing will go wrong. I will make sure Taylor West is smiling ear to ear the entire time she is here."

Patting Will on his back and then rubbing it, Jay gave a calm look. "You have not let me down so far, so I am putting my full trust in you."

Will nodded his head feeling anxious about the entire thing. Turning to Kahn, he made sure not to show it. "If you'll follow me..."

* * *

Now on the Dimera jet, Chad looked at his phone and debated whether he should take a nap, so he was more rested when he landed in Chicago. Taking a deep breath, he said to himself, "This is it. It has to work out. I'm going to give Will the biggest surprise of his life."


	4. Chapter 4 Don't Say Goodbye

**Chapter 4: Don't Say Goodbye – Monday, August 19th, 2013**

_Tick_. _Tock_. _Tick_. _Tock_. Jack could hear the ticking from the clock, which hung on the wall outside of Lexie's office at the hospital. The heavy antique reminded him of a metronome – keeping a steady and annoying beat to remind him of every second he was wasting waiting for Lexie. He had canceled his therapy session with Dr. Brown for this meeting. Where was the chief-of-staff?

Finally giving in, Jack looked at the clock to make sure he had waited long enough so he could make some sort of complaint. He shook his head when he realized he had been there longer than he anticipated. Just as he was about to give up, he spotted someone who looked familiar coming down the hall. "Hey, you!" he called out. "You're a doctor here, right?"

Cameron stopped in his tracks and looked Jack over suspiciously because he recognized him as the media. "Yes, I'm Dr. Davis. Can I help you? I'm not sure you should be here."

"I should be here," Jack quickly claimed before explaining, "The name is Jack Deveraux, and I have an appointment with Lexie - err, Dr. Carver, but she hasn't been by at all."

Glancing behind him, Cameron questioned Lexie's disappearance. "She should be around here somewhere because I saw her earlier today," he stated.

Maxine and Jennifer were walking down the hall when they spotted Cameron and Jack talking. Placing her hands on her hips, Maxine asked, "What's going on here?" She, too, was suspicious of Jack's hanging around the halls.

Jack eyed Maxine and Jennifer and shared, "I had an appointment scheduled with Lexie, but she hasn't shown up for it."

Maxine now remembered Jack had an appointment with Lexie because of the story they were doing on Dr. Carver. Giving him an apologetic look, she informed him, "Lexie took the rest of the day off, so I'm afraid you'll have to reschedule for another time."

Cameron eyed his mother but remained silent as Jack responded, "She's not here at all?"

Jennifer had no idea Lexie left either. She eyed her ex-husband for a moment knowing he had canceled his therapy session for this meeting. Thinking of the conversation she had with Lexie the night before, she shared, "It's probably for the best that Lexie went home. I know she's tired."

Jack hid his frustration on not being able to meet with Lexie. He studied Jennifer's face and wondered what she was thinking. Noting the look of curiosity on her face, he decided he should go before she could ask him any questions. "Okay, I guess I will try her another day. Can you please leave a message for her?"

Maxine nodded her head and complied.

After Jack left, Jennifer wondered if she should visit Lexie to check in with her. Her thoughts and fears were now racing on the mental health of her dear friend. "I'll talk to you later, Maxine," she said before walking away.

Cameron turned toward his mother and wanted to know more about Lexie. "So the chief-of-staff leaves the hospital without a word..."

Maxine gave her son a look to make him stop talking. "Everything will be fine, and no one is in danger."

"I'm not so sure," Cameron said below his breath.

* * *

"I like the changes you've made so far," Sonny commented as he looked around the kitchen of Melanie and Nathan's house. He and Melanie had just finished lunch.

Melanie glanced over the room as well. "Yeah, I think I'm done though. This was Maggie and Mickey's house, and I know Nathan has a lot of fond memories here. I want to make it my own, but I also want to respect its history."

Sonny let out a sigh and felt he could finally let go of some of the tension he had when he first arrived. "Well, Maggie is changing up the Kiriakis mansion now that she's moved in there and you have memories here as well, right? Maggie took you in at one point, didn't she?"

Melanie nodded her head as she reflected on what happened to Nick and the man who raised her. "That was before I found out who my real parents are. So weird to think about those times."

Sonny agreed by giving Melanie a nod. He took a sip of his drink unsure of what to say next.

"Are you done?" Melanie asked as she stood up from the table. After Sonny confirmed he had finished, she took the dishes to the sink. When she rejoined Sonny at the table, she asked, "So are you going to tell me why you were upset when you first arrived?"

The tension returned. Sonny flashed back to what happened at his apartment with Chad and felt an anger increase within him. Attempting to keep a level head about the news, he failed and shared with great disdain, "I guess you'll find out eventually, but Chad's back in Salem."

Melanie's jaw dropped for a second. "Chad? As in Chad Dimera?" The look on Sonny's face confirmed it for her. "Is Will aware yet?"

Sonny shook his head. "Will is already in Chicago again. I really hope Chad doesn't mess up the progress Will has made. Will is actually happy now."

Melanie leaned her head on her hand as she thought about Chad and Will's relationship. "I remember how I helped Chad with Will on the yacht. I thought they were really cute together."

"We all helped Chad," Sonny started. "I helped him a lot, but I can't do that anymore because of how he walked out on Will."

Melanie looked at Sonny and reflected on his situation with Dario. Even though she believed Sonny had done something similar to her ex, she decided not to mention it because she didn't want to upset Sonny even more. Grabbing a napkin to wipe her hands, she shared, "I'll probably stay out of it as well. I have other things I need to focus on."

Sonny remembered the fact that Melanie hadn't heard from her father in almost a year. "Have you had any luck finding anything out on your dad?"

Melanie looked down defeated. "I came close. Nicholas tried to help me at Titan to see if Victor and Brady knew anything. I know Victor has to be looking for him because he loved my dad like his own son, but they don't want to tell me anything. It's kind of freaking me out, and I gave this poor presentation. I'm not sure if Brady caught on to what Nicholas and I were doing there."

Sonny felt bad for Melanie. He couldn't imagine what he would feel like if one of his parents went off the radar like Daniel. He was already having a hard enough time with them leaving town so much to be with his brothers. Offering his help, he claimed, "I may have a better chance of getting information from my great-uncle. He's usually straightforward about things with me – especially now."

"I don't know," Melanie let out defeated. "No one has heard from him. At first, I thought that my dad was just clearing his head after Abe's death because he's that type of guy. He doesn't like to lose patients, but Abe was a bigger deal. I know my dad adores Lexie and adored Abe. I wish I had suspected something was up from the get go."

Sonny frowned as he thought about how a lot changed for everyone after Abe's death. "Perhaps he is still clearing the air and is just laying low. If Victor knows anything, maybe he will eventually come around and tell you."

Melanie grew impatient about being ignorant when it came to her father. "I can't just sit here and wait for people who might know something to tell me what's going on. My dad is out there, and no one has heard from him. I have to do something!"

Sonny gave Melanie a concerned look as he carefully asked, "What are you thinking?"

Melanie paused a moment before voicing her thoughts on what she needed to do. Knowing she could trust Sonny with this, she revealed, "I'm thinking about leaving Salem to go find him. Please don't say a word to anyone else about this."

"I won't," Sonny promised. "Have you talked to Nathan about it?"

Melanie shook her head feeling guilty. "I haven't because I know he needs to be here," she excused herself even though a part of her knew she needed to tell Nathan what she was thinking and feeling.

Sonny was not okay with Melanie's excuse. "I think keeping Nathan in the dark about how you're feeling is a mistake."

Even though she knew Sonny was right, Melanie didn't want to hear it because she had worked so hard to make Nathan believe she was okay. She didn't like it when he worried about her too much because it put him in a powerless position. She knew Nathan couldn't do anything to help her with Daniel. Turning the focus back to Sonny, she asked, "How's your love life going? Is there anyone new in your life?"

Sonny got the point that Melanie wanted to table the conversation, immediately felt uncomfortable by the change in subject, and wondered why Melanie asked about his love life. His thoughts returned to the guy he was with earlier – before Chad showed up at his door. He bit his tongue because he couldn't share that information with Melanie because he promised to keep it a secret. "There's no one. I'm just everyone's friend – well, except Chad's."

* * *

Working with the other sound engineer, who was in the control room, Will walked into one of the isolation booths to make sure everything was in order. He reminded himself what his game plan was when Jay and Taylor West entered the live room which led to the isolation booth he was in. Watching them as they talked, Will quickly noted how flirty Taylor was. She couldn't keep her hands off of Jay. He needed to focus though on the task at hand. He knew he was going to have to force a lot of smiles while pretending he actually enjoyed Taylor West's music. He told himself he could do this.

Taylor West smiled wildly as she gently dropped her hand on Jay's chest. "I really like the space you've created here. Let's lay down some music. I'm really feeling it _hard_."

Jay let out a smile before turning his attention to Will. "The booth is in that direction. The man in there will get you set up, so we can start with your first track. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask."

Spotting Will for the first time, Taylor made her way into the isolation booth and asked, "So are you here to help me make _beautifamous_ music?"

Will felt the urge to grab his neck but stopped himself. "I'm here for whatever you need."

"Whatever?" Taylor questioned as she put her finger in her mouth. She smiled devilishly as she looked over the eye candy standing in front of her. Moving along, she asked, "Where's your phone?"

Will wasn't sure why Taylor would want his phone, but he didn't have it on him to find out. "Sorry, I don't have it. I left it on my desk, so I could focus completely on you."

Taylor's eyes widened as she found Will endearing and not just another pretty face. Dropping her hand on Will's chest, so she could feel him up, she noted, "You must have an awesome body underneath your clothes. I'm sure you've seen my photo shoots."

Will swallowed hard realizing she was hitting on him sedulously. He had seen her photo shoots before but knew they must have touched them up a lot. She looked more homely in person. Smiling, he figured he shouldn't tell her he was gay just yet. "I try to keep in shape," he commented as he continued to set her up for recording.

Removing her hand from Will, Taylor grabbed a piece of paper and wrote something on it. As she put her hand out to him, she stated, "That's the hotel I'm staying at with my room number. You should stop by tonight after we're done here. We can see how _hard_ you've worked your body at the gym. I bet I can work it harder in the bedroom."

Will took the paper after he was done and nodded before heading into the control room. Making eye contact with Jay, he said, "Everything is set, and she's ready."

Jay nodded his head as they took their seats next to the sound engineer. Leaning closely into Will, he whispered, "You need to do whatever to make Taylor happy. I know you know how to do that."

Will's nerves began to show after hearing those words from the producer. He told himself that he would figure something out by the end of this session to let Taylor down gently. He didn't believe Jay would want him to sleep with Taylor – at least he hoped not.

* * *

In EJ's office at Dimera Enterprises, EJ finished going through Chad's proposal with Dario and Ignazio. "So any final thoughts on the project?"

Ignazio couldn't get over the fact that Chad was back in town. He didn't want to support anything that would cause his second cousin to stay, so he shared some doubts, "I'm not sure if it will work. It could take a lot of the family money and never pay off."

Dario placed his hand on Ignazio's shoulder trying to understand Ignazio's negative response to an amazing idea. This was something they needed. "Bro, you should think it over more because it could bring something new to the family business."

"I am with Dario on this," EJ admitted. "We need to take more risks because business hasn't been doing as well since we got rid of the illegal side of things."

Remembering how Marco stopped by the guesthouse, Dario wondered, "Has the family been taking any heat from that?"

EJ immediately denied it. "Don't worry about that. We are fine." Standing up, he figured now was the time to end their day at the office. "How about we take the evening to think it over and discuss it with fresh minds tomorrow."

Ignazio and Dario stood up as well and agreed. After saying goodbye to EJ, they left his office. Trying to shake his brother, so he could talk to Maddalena about Chad, Ignazio told Dario, "I will meet you at the guesthouse for dinner."

Dario stopped in his tracks because he had other plans in mind. "I want to stop by our nonna's house first."

Somewhat annoyed, Ignazio wanted to tell Dario to reconsider, but before he could, he decided to reconsider his plans on telling Maddalena the news. He could use Dario to tell their grandmother about Chad, and then discuss it with her privately at another time. "Okay, let's go then."

Sami spotted Dario and Ignazio and headed over. "Is EJ alone in his office?"

"Yes, he is," Ignazio responded.

Sami told the guys to have a good night before heading into her husband's office. After closing the door behind her, she looked to EJ and claimed, "I'm ready to talk."

EJ remained in his chair to allow some distance between he and his wife. He knew Sami was upset with him, but he wanted to approach her cautiously because there were things he'd rather avoid discussing with her. "What do you want to talk about, Samantha? Is everything alright?"

Sami knew EJ was staying away purposely so things did not escalate. She knew there was no escaping it though. Placing her hands on her hips, she fumed, "I know you're keeping something from me, EJ. Tell me what's going on."

EJ's thoughts immediately went to Chad. Finally standing for his wife, he walked over and confessed, "There is something you need to know."

Sami was all ears and waited in anticipation.

"Chad has returned to Salem," EJ continued. "He seems set on being with Will."

Mentally thrown, Sami took a moment before asking, "Does Chad know where Will is?"

EJ gave his wife a nod. "He does. Chad is now on his way to Chicago to meet Will."

Sami swiftly went into panic mode as she grabbed her phone from her purse. She exclaimed, "This is not good. I need to warn Will!" Looking through her contacts, she found her son's phone number but suddenly paused. "Wait. How did Chad find out that Will is in Chicago, and how did he get a flight out there so quickly?"

EJ knew he couldn't lie to Sami about this and decided to just come out with it. "He has taken the Dimera jet, and I told him where he could find your son."

Disappointment and betrayal covered Sami's face as she turned away from her husband. "We will deal with this later, but I need to call my son! I hope I can warn him in time before your brother ruins everything!"

* * *

In the offices of the newspaper at Salem University, Abigail and Ezra were reading through the final draft of their last article for the _Salem U Newspaper_. They were passing the torch to the new first-year interns of the grad program since they got an internship at _The Spectator_. After reading through the article, Abigail looked up to Ezra and asked, "Do you think there's anything we need to tweak?"

Ezra scanned the article one last time. Turning to Abigail, he smiled and said, "I think it is great, and I really like the photographs you took for it. You're really growing with the photo aspect of journalism."

Abigail struggled in taking a compliment from Ezra after what happened at the Brady Pub earlier. She returned her eyes to scan the article again to play off her nonverbal response.

Ezra didn't realize what Abigail was doing and assumed she was only freaking out because it was their last article for the school paper. "It's okay for us to be finished early. We're pros at this now and have done this for a year pretty much."

Abigail smiled as she reflected on the past year. "It has been a great year, and I've learned so much about politics and how I can use different mediums to share my thoughts on it. It's more fascinating than I thought."

Taking Abigail's hand, Ezra admitted, "We're moving onto bigger and better things at _The Spectator_. It's crazy how we randomly got an internship there." Ezra suddenly paused to look at how his hand was still holding Abigail's. Looking up into her eyes, he confessed, "I have to admit though; I'm going to miss this when it's all over."

Abigail, who felt uncomfortable, removed her hand and stepped away from Ezra, so she could pace the room. Her fear of what happened at the pub returned. She commented, "You cannot let Caroline get inside your head."

"What do you mean?"

Abigail gave Ezra a questionable look because she believed he was being coy with her. She was tired of the runaround they were going through and decided she needed to put a stop to it. "Don't play dumb. You heard what Caroline asked you at the pub. We aren't dating, and we are _not_ a couple."

Ezra felt dismissed by Abigail. He questioned why she seemed put off by the idea, and then wondered if she was trying to protect herself because she believed he didn't want them to be a couple. Taking a deep breath mentally, he decided to come clean about his feelings. "What I said to you just now has nothing to do with what Mrs. Brady said today at lunch. I've been thinking on the possibility for a while, but I didn't want to rush anything because I know how things went with you and Josh."

Abigail almost stopped breathing due to Ezra's confession. Shaking her head, she informed him, "It cannot happen because there's so much I still need to deal with."

"But things are better between you and your dad," Ezra countered without thinking.

Running her hands through her hair, Abigail agreed, "Yeah, things are better between my dad and me, but there is still a lot of work that must be done."

Ezra stood up, so he could look directly into Abigail's eyes. "Deveraux, our work here is done. We can discuss the possibilities between us. I'm not trying to rush anything here. I just want you to know how I feel."

Abigail pushed Ezra away physically, mentally, and emotionally. "You're right again, Ezra. We have finished our article, so we are done here. I should head home. Good night."

Ezra watched as Abigail grabbed her purse and walked out of the offices. Scratching his chin, he wondered if he spoke too soon. It was too late though. He now had to convince Abigail to be with him.

* * *

Jennifer was completely surprised when Celeste answered the door at the Carver house. She thought Lexie would be there alone. "Is Lexie here?" she asked with some timidity in her voice.

Celeste motioned for Jennifer to enter the house. She knew Jennifer had checked in with Lexie a lot while she was gone and greatly appreciated it. To show her appreciation, she placed her hand on Jennifer's shoulder to thank her, but a strange feeling came over her. "Are you aware of the fear filling your entire body?"

Jennifer became a bit unnerved by Celeste's question and decided to rephrase her question. "Is Lexie upstairs?"

"Alexandra is napping," Celeste finally answered, but Lexie walked down the stairs proving her wrong. "Oh, darling, Jennifer Horton is here to visit with you."

"Yeah, I heard the front door," Lexie stated matter-of-factly to dismiss her mother. After Celeste returned to the kitchen, she turned to Jennifer. "I'm sorry about my mom. Did you need something?"

Jen took Lexie's hand and led her to the couch, so they could sit. "Maxine said you took the rest of the day off. I came by to check in on you. I've been thinking a lot about what you said last night, and I realized I never asked you something."

Lexie grew nervous. "What didn't you ask?"

Jennifer gave Lexie a caring look to show she wasn't asking this question lightly. "Are you suicidal?"

Lexie immediately looked away and moved further from Jennifer on the couch. "I'm not," she answered. "I have Theo to think about."

This was really hard for Jennifer to approach this topic with Lexie, but she wanted to make sure she covered everything because she did not want to lose her friend. "What would your answer be if Theo wasn't in the picture?"

Lexie shook her head and put her hand out to make Jennifer stop. "I don't even want to think about that."

"I'm sorry," Jennifer apologized as she looked down. The last thing she wanted to do was make Lexie feel worse. Placing her hands in her lap, she asked, "Have you considered therapy?"

Lexie avoided answering Jen's question by talking about her son. "Theo is continuing therapy and has actually started to see Chelsea. I believe it is helping him cope."

Jennifer scooted closer to Lexie. "That's great. Maybe it would help you, too."

There was no avoiding Jen's suggestion now. Lexie rubbed the back of her head and closed her eyes as she admitted, "A part of me doesn't want to heal from Abe's death because I'm not ready to forget him."

As tears began to fall from Lexie's eyes, Jennifer pulled her close, so she could hold her. "There is no way you can forget the man you love," she comforted.

* * *

Arriving at Maddalena's mansion, Ignazio and Dario ran into Azzura in the entrance room. Azzura had just finished with a call and after putting her phone away, she approached the guys. "What are you two doing here? Out of food at the guesthouse next door?"

Ignazio gave Azzura an unaffected smile as he announced, "We are here to talk to our nonna."

Azzura eyed Dario for a moment before sharing, "I am on my way to her office now. I could help lead you there."

Scratching the top of his head, Dario still did not understand the dynamic between Ignazio and Azzura. Even though he knew where Maddalena's office was, he pushed his hands forward and said, "Lead the way."

Once they were in Maddalena's office, Azzura chose not to report what she had to share because Dario was there. Stepping back, she told them, "You guys can say what you need to say to her first."

Ignazio knew he needed to approach Maddalena differently with his brother there. "Dario and I spent some of the day at Dimera Enterprises."

Maddalena questioned if this was the only thing her grandsons came over to tell her. She dug deeper. "We must have missed each other. I was there earlier today. How is business?"

Ignazio glanced at Dario before responding, "We are still looking at different projects to decide which can be more lucrative for the company. I believe when we suspended the illegal business, we acted too swiftly. It was a bad idea."

Maddalena shook her head and felt disappointed by Ignazio's feelings on this. "I disagree, nipote. It needed to happen."

"I agree with nonna," Dario shared his input. "We will be better people for this."

Maddalena gave Dario an impressed look before returning to Ignazio. "Listen to your brother," she suggested.

As Ignazio held in his annoyance on how quick Dario had become Maddalena's new favorite grandson, Dario realized there was news she needed to hear. "Chad made an appearance today at Dimera Enterprises."

Azzura and Maddalena were shocked by the news. Maddalena gave Ignazio a questioning look but played off the shock as excitement. "I am happy to hear he is back, but why now?"

"I could possibly find out," Ignazio offered.

Maddalena placed her hand on her chin. "No. I will invite him over to talk to him personally."

Dario grabbed his shoulder as he shared, "That may be impossible as he's probably in Chicago now."

Maddalena remained still for a moment to reflect on her brother's youngest son. Realizing she was keeping her grandsons waiting, she said, "I will wait for his return and invite him then. Are you two staying for dinner? I must discuss something privately with Azzura before we eat."

Ignazio stepped in and covered for his nonna so she could have the space she needed to talk to Azzura. "We are eating at the guesthouse tonight, so we will go. Do not worry about us."

Maddalena gave her grandsons hugs and kisses before they left. After some time had passed she turned to Azzura and inquired, "What do you have for me? Does it involve the return of Chad?"

Azzura shook her head and claimed, "I had no idea Chad had returned, signora. No one called to warn me."

Maddalena pulled out her phone to see if she had somehow missed any messages. "I don't know what news you have for me, but it must wait. I need to make a call to find out how this happened. I need to know how this will affect us."

Azzura gave Maddalena a slight nod as she said, "I will do the same," before heading out.

Maddalena dialed a number and let it ring. Once the person answered, she demanded in Italian, "What happened? Why did you not say anything about Chad's return to Salem?"

"I tried to stop him," the person replied in Italian.

"Are you still in Texas?"

"I am, but I am considering a trip to Salem to assist in bringing him back."

* * *

Back in Chicago, Will felt more relaxed now. Recording was going great considering the talent, so things were going smoothly. Will smiled inside as he told himself, "I can do this."

As Taylor West began to lay down the next verse of a song she clearly did not write, noises from outside the studio began to distract those in the control room. Kahn Swift, Taylor's assistant, turned to Jay and Will expecting them to do something before Taylor noticed, but it was too late. Taylor could see the looks of discomfort on all their faces and stopped her wailing. Pulling out her earpiece, Taylor stood up from her chair. "What the fuck is going on?" she bitched as she opened the door and walked out into the live room. Her ears perked to the noises now coming from outside of the live room. Turning to Jay and Will she whined, "I need someone to fix my environment here so I can record the best record possible!"

Will, unaware that Jay had pushed the intercom button, commented under his breath, "Well, we still have the auto tune process to fix up everything anyway."

Taylor eyed Will and asked, "What was that?"

Will froze for a moment as the commotion outside only got louder. "I said, we can do another take if you don't like the sound of this one," he covered. He hoped Taylor believed him.

Kahn stepped in because he knew she was not happy. "Can someone do something about whatever is going on out there? I thought you people were professionals!"

Before Jay could ask Will to check out the noise, Chad suddenly burst through the doors that led into the live room. He searched the entire room for Will, but did not see him from where he was standing. Will, who was in the control room, was rendered silent by the shock of seeing Chad again.

Chad finally spoke, "I need to talk to Will Horton."

Even though Taylor found Chad quite the pretty boy, she was still upset at the distraction he created. Getting in his face, she yelled, "You have totally ruined the mood here! Who are you, and who the hell is Will Horton?"

Jay looked at Will with great disappointment. "Will, what the hell is going on here?"

As Will exited the control room and headed for the live room, Chad recognized Taylor West and gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for just coming in here like this, but I need to talk to Will, so I can fix everything. I love Will, and I need him to know that."

Will finally entered the room to grab Chad. "Chad, come on."

Taylor quickly put two and two together and got even more frustrated. Turning towards Jay, Kahn, and the sound engineer, she demanded, "Get these fags out of _my_ studio!"

This is exactly the reaction Will wanted to avoid all week. He tried to smooth things over by promising, "I will take care of it. Don't worry."

As Will pulled Chad outside, Kahn walked over to Jay and announced, "We will need a break to recuperate from the travesty that just happened. Hopefully, we will be able to recover."

Outside, it was starting to sprinkle. Will stopped and turned around to face Chad trying to make sense of what just happened. He was feeling a lot of things, but most of it was anger. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Chad's heart beat faster because Will actually stood in front of him. It had been too long, and he desperately wished he didn't walk out the way he did eighteen months ago. With sincerity and desperation, he proclaimed, "I came back to find you and talk to you about everything."

"I don't want to hear it," Will quickly dismissed Chad. He didn't have the time to deal with this. He had a job to do. "Please go back to where you were – to wherever you drove away to."

Chad tried to grab Will's hand, but Will remained distant. "Will, I came back to Salem for good. I'm not running away anymore."

Will didn't want to hear anymore because he did not want to allow Chad to take any power from him. "I don't care!" he maintained. "Just leave because I have a job I need to do. Goodbye, Chad!"

Chad watched as Will turned his back on him to return to the studio. He couldn't believe Will was so dismissive and knew he needed to do something fast. Remembering how much Will loved _It Will Rain_ by Bruno Mars, he began to sing the last part of it a capella:

_Don't just say goodbye. _

_Don't just say goodbye. _

_I'll pick up these broken pieces 'til I'm bleeding _

_If that will make it right. _

_'Cause there'll be no sunshine..._

Will could feel it. He was losing the power and strength he had built over the last eighteen months. How had Chad managed to do that? How could Chad bring the return of his weakness? Standing still for a moment, Will listened as Chad continued to sing the rest of the song. He knew Chad was telling him not to turn his back on them, but the song triggered a memory Will had desperately tried to erase from his memory. The Bruno Mars song was the same song that played in Chad's car before Chad turned his back on him and drove off. Old feelings returned to the forefront of his mind confusing Will even more.

Will finally locked eyes with Chad and could see deep sincerity in them. The pull was just too strong for him in this moment. Unable to take it anymore, Will finally rushed back over to Chad and pulled him into a kiss.

Chad was surprised by the kiss but allowed himself to get lost in the moment. It felt amazing to have Will in his arms after all this time. Running his hands down Will's back, Chad wondered if he could control himself.

Will got lost in the kiss as well, but the rejection he felt more than eighteen months ago began to bleed into his memory once again. The anger and hurt he experienced since the last time he saw Chad had returned to the front of his mind. How could he be so weak? How could he let Chad do this to him? He knew this wasn't right and needed to put a stop to it.

Pushing Chad off of him, Will decided this would be their last kiss. "Goodbye Chad. That is the last time!" When Chad tried to pull him back in, Will quickly reacted by pushing Chad onto the ground. "Goodbye," he repeated.

Chad cowered while grabbing his chest where Will pushed him down. He wasn't hurt physically, but the emotional whiplash caused difficulties in his breathing. Watching as Will disappeared into the building, he looked down in defeat. Will had rejected him now and made it clear he wanted him gone.

"I should have known," Chad whispered to himself. He stood up and dusted himself off. Even though he had been pushed down by his ex, Chad caught himself smiling as he touched his own lips. The kiss. It was amazing. His smile quickly faded though as he reflected on what Will said after. Was it really their last kiss?

Looking around trying to figure out where he went wrong in his approach, Chad realized he needed to leave. He didn't want to wait around and anger Will even more. Heading to his car, he questioned if everything was ruined now.


	5. Chapter 5 Eventually

**Chapter 5: Eventually – Tuesday, August 20th, 2013**

The next morning, Rex and Cassie sat at their dining room table eating breakfast. Putting his fork down, Rex shared with his sister, "I have most of the day off, but I have a presentation to make this evening."

Cassie took a sip of her orange juice before running her hands through her hair. "You should stop by the club later if you have time before or after your presentation."

Rex began to play with the food he had left on his plate. Trying to contain a nervous smile, he asked, "Will your assistant be there?"

Cassie noted the look on her brother's face. "Does she determine whether you will come or not? I think she will be there."

Rex shrugged his shoulders. "I may come."

Cassie gave her brother a knowing look but turned her attention to Will when he walked out of his bedroom. He looked extremely tired and disheveled. "Do you have time for breakfast?"

Will nodded his head as he took a seat. "I think I should eat something because I really need the energy to make it through today. There's so much I have to do."

Standing up to make his nephew some eggs, Rex attempted to encourage Will. "I'm sure you can pull through. If you need my help, I'm here."

Will took a deep breath and shook his head. "Thanks, but I can do it. I'll pull it off."

Cassie and Rex watched Will for a moment before turning to each other. They were really worried about him.

* * *

Making his way down the stairs of the Dimera mansion, Chad looked through a small journal reflecting on his return to Salem in the early hours of the day. He had failed miserably in reuniting with Will in Chicago and figured it would be best if he focused on work so he could return to his original plan. Plan B didn't work, so it was time to refocus on Plan A.

With his eyes glued into his small journal, Chad walked into the living room and began to write something. A sudden feeling came over him. Something told him he was being watched. Looking up, he almost jumped when he saw Sami silently sitting in his father's chair. She was clearly waiting for him.

Sami uncrossed her legs and gave Chad a look of satisfaction because she had him right where she wanted him. Lifting herself off the chair, she quickly became stern as she claimed, "I hoped you would come down so we could finally share some words."

Chad took a deep breath. He placed his journal in his back pocket before admitting, "I wasn't sure how people would react with my return, but I knew I should prepare for this moment. I knew I had to prepare for you."

"You prepared for me?" Sami scoffed at the thought. "Do you really even know me?"

Chad tried to play it cool even though Sami really did scare him. "I know you're unpredictable. I know I don't want to make you upset."

Sami raised her hands and looked at Chad like he was stupid. "Newsflash, Chad! I am already beyond feeling upset!" she yelled as she moved closer to Chad so she could continue to lay into him. "Why are you back, Chad? What gives you the audacity to return to Salem and tear up all the progress Will has made while you were out of the picture?"

Chad attempted to return the same intensity as Sami as he argued, "You are accusing me of something I am not going to do!"

Shaking her head, Sami realized she was wasting her time with Chad. "Look. I understand your family may need you at this time, but heed my warning: If you know what's best, you will continue to stay away from Will."

Before Chad could respond, EJ walked in and interrupted, "Oh good. You two have already said your hellos." He hoped he could lighten the mood, but after noting the tense looks that remained on his wife's and brother's faces, he tried something different. "Did you two work everything out?"

Sami grabbed her purse from the coffee table and pulled it around her arm. Glaring at Chad, she replied, "I didn't get to say everything I wanted, but I believe Chad got the point."

Turning her glare to EJ, Sami remembered the fight they had the night before. She was upset with her husband for helping Chad fly out to Chicago to meet up with Will. When she was close enough, she pulled EJ into a passionate kiss and reminded him of how their argument ended the night before. EJ was all smiles as Sami informed him, "I'm headed to the office. I'll see you there later."

With Sami gone, Chad approached his brother and questioned, "I guess she's not mad at you for helping me out yesterday or does she not know you provided the address and the transportation?"

EJ eyed his brother and clarified, "She knows, and she is still very upset with me, but I am certain I can continue to remedy that." Scratching his temple with his pointing finger, EJ made his way to the mini bar to pour himself a drink. "I take it things did not work to your favor concerning Will."

Even though Chad was disappointed in how things went the night before, he knew he couldn't give up. "I'm determined to work harder to get what I want," he responded vaguely before moving on. "I plan on stopping at Dimera Enterprises today."

After taking a sip of water, EJ shook his head. "That won't be necessary, brother. I think your time would be of better use if you stayed away from the office to settle into Salem more. We will discuss your proposal soon enough. Of course, I would also like to catch up on what you've done over the last year and a half."

Chad understood what his brother was saying, but he did not have the patience to simply settle back into Salem. After placing his pen behind his right ear, he adamantly stated, "We need to move on my proposal soon."

EJ caught on Chad's urgency in this. He put his glass of water down onto the bar and recommended, "How about you look at locations and venues then? And while you're at it, you should visit with your sister. Have you even told her you're back in town?"

Guilt began to eat at Chad because he realized he hadn't even thought of Lexie. Remembering how Sami mentioned the family, he questioned his brother, "Sami said the family needed me. Is there something going on?"

EJ swiftly picked up his glass of water and took a drink to buy him some time. He realized Chad didn't know much of the family situation and debated whether he should tell his brother about Abe's death since he never got in contact with him after it happened. Deciding Chad needed to face this by himself and learn a lesson, EJ simply answered, "Just visit with Alexandra. I am sure she'd be happy to see you again."

Chad took a breath and nodded his head. "Okay. I'll go see Lexie and check out venues. I need to shower up first though."

EJ gave his brother a nod of understanding. After Chad headed upstairs, EJ put his glass of water down again and headed for the desk to see if today's paper was there. Hearing heels walk up behind him, he turned around to see Azzura there. "I'm sorry to inform you, but you've already missed Samantha. She's out."

"Oh," Azzura let out with some disappointment. "I wanted to make sure Sami and I are still on for tonight."

Unaware of Sami's plans for the evening, EJ asked, "What plans do you have with my wife tonight?" He had hoped he and Sami could continue what they started the night before.

Azzura moved in closer and clasped her hands. As EJ grabbed his glass to take another drink, she informed him, "Sami and I are having dinner tonight. We may watch a move after."

EJ grimaced as he placed his empty glass on the mini bar once again. He figured he and Sami wouldn't get much time alone for the evening. "Well, I hope you two have fun," he said before joking, "Please be sure to not cause any trouble."

Azzura giggled and agreed. "You know that is easier said than done."

* * *

Sonny caught up with Chelsea and Abigail for brunch at the Horton Town Square. He was relieved they agreed to meet with him after he spent most of the evening alone the night before. Finding a table, Sonny placed his food down and took a seat. "I wish my internship was extended because I don't know what to do with myself. I have all this free time now," he commented as he put a straw in his drink.

Abigail and Chelsea sat down as well. Picking at her food, Sonny's cousin suggested, "You could find a new boyfriend."

Sonny gave Abigail a look of confusion because he did not expect her to say that. "That is not an option. I'd rather just hang out with friends. Friends can be fun."

Chelsea tried to read Sonny to see if he was serious about that. She had noted he wasn't the same guy she met when she returned to help her grandmother at the pub. Curious, she asked, "Have you been with anyone since Dario?"

Sonny immediately closed his eyes. He did not want to answer Chelsea's question but knew he had to say something before she and Abigail ganged up on him. They had a knack for teaming up on him when they hung out together. Opening his eyes again, he let out, "Dario? We're bringing up Dario again?" He desperately hoped Chelsea and Abigail wouldn't force the topic at this point. To make sure they didn't, he turned to his cousin and commented, "You're in the same boat as me, right? You have some time between now and when you start your new prestigious internship at _The Spectator_. Any chance you're going to find a boyfriend? How are things with you and Ezra?"

Ezra. Sonny actually had to bring up Ezra again. Abigail forced a smile as she reflected on what happened between her and Ezra on campus the night before. She wasn't keen on sharing with Chelsea or Sonny that Ezra sort of asked her out. "I'm going to give you the same answer I gave you Sunday night. Ezra and I are friends and colleagues – nothing more."

"Nothing more?" Chelsea released to force Abigail to reconsider her answer.

Abigail wasn't having it though and ignored her best friend's attempts to make her spill any of the secrets she was concealing. Making eye contact with Sonny, she stated, "I am like you, Sonny. I'm not ready to date anyone. I'm all about the friends."

Chelsea still didn't believe Abigail. The fact that her friend didn't respond to her made her all the more dubious. Trying a different route, she questioned, "Are you still hung up on Josh?"

Hearing Josh's name again had a strange effect on Abigail. Ezra had brought him up the night before as well. Returning the attention to how Chelsea asked about Dario, Abigail rhetorically asked Chelsea, "What's with you bringing up the exes of 2012?"

"It's a simple question, Abby," Chelsea argued pushing Abigail to a point where she couldn't skirt around the issue any longer.

"I had to let go of the idea of me and Josh because I pushed him away. He's not coming back. I know I will have to find someone new eventually," she released with some annoyance even if she wasn't all that upset with Chelsea for forcing her to open her mouth on the subject.

Interested to know more about Abigail's feelings, Sonny broke his silence, "Does that mean Ezra's not the guy to move on with?"

"Ezra's a great guy," Abigail started, "but I'd rather make sure I have my stuff together before I jump into anything."

Chelsea rolled her eyes at Sonny and Abigail as she commented, "You two will be really old before you start a relationship at the rate you're going."

Abigail smiled at Chelsea while pretending to be offended by her comment. She now could get back at her friend for making her talk about Josh and Ezra. "You're telling us about holding back on relationships? Are you finally going to confirm who you're so interested in?"

"Ignazio," Chelsea let out, but she wasn't answering Abigail's question. She spotted Ignazio and Dario walking towards them. "Hey guys."

Dario and Ignazio arrived to the table surprising everyone who was seated. Dario and Sonny glanced at each other once but quickly turned their gaze to something else once their eyes met. It felt weird to be in the same vicinity with each other at the Horton Town Square. Dario managed to turn to Chelsea and release a quiet, "Hello."

Ignazio quickly noted the discomfort his brother was experiencing. He stepped up closer to the table because he was the one who wanted to stop by – even with Sonny there. "Chelsea, is it possible to make an appointment with you later? There is something I would like to discuss with you – alone."

Chelsea knew Ignazio was trying to be cute, but she couldn't be too careful. She warned, "Please don't joke about me giving you therapy sessions. I'll meet with you though – as a _friend_."

Ignazio immediately felt bad for reminding Chelsea of what she went through the year before with the ethics board and wondered if he should worry about the emphasis she used on the word _friend_. Fighting his nerves, he said, "I apologize for being insensitive."

Noting Sonny's silence, Abigail leaned into him to make him say something while she directed a question towards Ignazio. "So what do you need to talk to Chelsea about alone?"

Before Ignazio could respond, Sonny tried to pull away from Abigail but she was persistently leaning on him. "Stop. What are you doing?" he asked slightly raising his voice catching everyone's attention.

Ignazio caught his brother eyeing Sonny again. His gaze seemed fixed on the guy. Patting his brother on the back to get him to look away, Ignazio knew he needed to minimize Sonny and Dario's interaction. He addressed Abigail's question first, "I'm sure Chelsea will tell you every detail of my conversation with her when the opportunity arises." He then turned to Chelsea and said, "I will call you later, Chelsea. We can discuss another time for us to meet without distractions."

Chelsea nodded her head. "Yeah. I'll call you or you can," she said trying not to make a big deal of Ignazio's wanting to talk to her privately. After Dario and Ignazio left, Chelsea acted first to make sure she wasn't put in the hot seat. "You're still hung up on Dario!" she called Sonny out.

Abigail agreed with Chelsea forgetting what just happened with Ignazio. "Oh my gosh – you so are, Sonny. You and Dario had to try so hard not to look at each other and when you did, you two couldn't even say anything! You two definitely have some unfinished business."

Sonny shook his head wishing he could bury it into something. "You two are way off base. I've moved on," he claimed.

* * *

At the news station, Jack and Nicole were in his office working on an upcoming story they were presenting next month. Looking at a list he created, Jack asked Nicole, "Were you able to interview any of the board members from the hospital?"

Nicole pulled out the transcripts from her interviews from the day before and dropped them on Jack's desk. "I got a few done, but there are some I'd rather hand off – well actually there is one – _the baby maker_."

Jack picked up on who Nicole was referring to. "I'll take Sami then. She and I have good rapport – I guess. We need to talk to Nurse Maxine about which doctors are available for our piece on Lexie. We might want to stay away from a Dr. Davis though."

"I can handle that solo if you want me to," Nicole offered before remembering something that happened earlier. "I forgot to tell you I got a call from Bo. It was so weird because he asked about you. I don't understand why Bo is calling me and not you."

Jack tried to laugh it off by joking, "I told him you were my assistant, so he probably thinks he has to go through you to talk to me."

Nicole sneered at Jack and didn't believe him. "What are you talking about, Jack? Bo knows I am not your assistant because no one thinks that," she argued giving her partner the evil eye. Raising her hand to point upward, she continued, "Also, he told me that he has tried to reach you."

Jack suddenly got very quiet and very still. He did not want to say another word about Bo trying to reach him.

Studying the look on Jack's face, Nicole quickly caught on that he was hiding something. "Oh my god! There's something you're not telling me!" she exclaimed before demanding, "Spill, or I will do my own private investigation and put a story out on you revealing all of your secrets."

Jack was not amused with Nicole's threat even if she was joking. "There's no need. Bo wants to meet with me. I think it has to do with Colin, but I would rather stay away from all that."

Nicole thought about her history with Colin and decided to drop the conversation. "I can understand your decision on that. Colin is a sneaky bastard."

Ready to move on, Jack grabbed the transcripts Nicole threw on his desk to look them over. "I know people are expecting this to be a fluff piece but with the anniversary of Abe's death coming up tomorrow, I think we'll be able to bring in..."

Interrupting Jack mid-sentence, Ezra walked into the office surprising Jack and Nicole. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding."

Jack sat up in his chair confused. "What are you doing here?"

Ezra remained by the door as he explained, "I want to talk to you alone, Mr. Deveraux."

Nicole took the hint and stood up. Turning to Jack, she pointed her finger around his desk. "After you're done with him, you can look those over. I'll try to get Nurse Maxine on the phone to ask her who she can send our way."

"Remember – no to Dr. Davis," Jack called out before Nicole left.

Nicole gave Jack a nod.

After Nicole walked out of the room, Jack turned to Ezra to give him his full attention. "So why do you need to talk to me? Is this about my amazing experience at _The Salem Spectator_? Did they send you here?"

"No… no," Ezra denied quickly before lowering his head. After a deep sigh, he admitted, "I made a huge mistake last night. I let your daughter know in the most unromantic way that I have feelings for her. Now she won't date me."

All Jack could do was blink. His eyes blinked repeatedly because he was facing something he had never experienced before. Weirded out that Ezra came to him about this, Jack took some time to blink some more because he did not know how else to respond. As much as he wanted to protect his daughter from guys, he really wasn't experienced in dealing with a situation like this. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure why you're coming to me about my daughter turning you down."

Ezra noted Jack was uncomfortable and attempted to help Jack understand more about why he was there. "I think your daughter is worth the wait. I am here though because I wonder if you may be standing in the way of me being with her."

Jack's thoughts immediately went to the damage he had done to Abigail over her lifetime. He had really dropped the ball too many times, but at the same time, he still did not know what to make of Ezra. Clearing his throat, he said, "I can take care of this. I would appreciate it if you minded your own business. My relationship with my daughter is between Abigail and me."

Ezra could see he upset Jack. "I'm sorry if I have overstepped or caused you to be upset. That was not my intention, Mr. Deveraux. I came to you because I know you are extremely important to your daughter and since she is also important to me, I decided to come to you so you could help her."

Jack saw genuine sincerity in Ezra's eyes and showed a bit more appreciation towards him. "Thank you for coming to me, but there's really nothing I can do. Abigail will be ready when she's ready… _if_ she's ready."

Ezra sighed and knew Jack was right. "Please accept my apologies once again for intruding. Thanks for your time."

Jack watched Ezra leave defeated. His thoughts went to how he ruined Abigail and Josh's relationship. "I can't do that again," he softly stated under his breath. Remembering his conversation with his therapist, Joselyn Brown, Jack wondered if he should talk to his daughter about family therapy separately or with Jen and JJ.

* * *

In his office at Titan, Brady sat at his desk looking at his computer screen. He was talking to his grandfather via Skype. Victor wasn't too pleased with the issues that had come up at Titan since he left for his honeymoon. Matching his grandfather's grimace, Brady acknowledged, "I knew something was fishy when she told me she wanted to present something out of the blue. Her presentation was horrible."

From Brady's screen, Victor groaned before instructing, "Make sure security is tight because of what Melanie did. I can't believe Nicholas could be so idiotic and go against me."

Brady hated keeping secrets from Melanie when it was her business. Showing he felt bad about it, he suggested, "Maybe we should tell Melanie what we know about Daniel."

Victor remained resolute in his decision. "I don't think that's a good idea, Brady. It will only make things worse."

Nicholas walked into the office per Brady's request. When he sat down, Brady turned the screen and revealed Victor was on it. Surprised to see Victor, Nicholas wondered if he was about to get a lecture. "What's this?" he asked before giving Victor a proper greeting. "Mr. Kiriakis."

Victor cleared his throat and tried to contain his frustration. "Do I need to refresh your memory on what I did for you after you returned to Salem? I helped you out of a tight spot, so I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't play games with me."

Brady looked over to Nicholas as he wondered what his grandfather did for Nicholas. This was the first time he heard anything about it directly even though he had some suspicions when Victor offered Nicholas such a great opportunity at Titan at the beginning of the year. There was definitely more there and the nervousness that covered Nicholas's face confirmed it for Brady.

Knowing he had Nicholas's attention, Victor moved on to what he wanted from him. "You need to convince Melanie not to look into Daniel's disappearance any further."

Even though he did not want to upset Victor, he cautiously countered, "I know that is impossible because Daniel is Melanie's dad. At the very least, I need to be able to give her something to appease her. What do you two know about Daniel? Is he okay?"

Victor remained silent for a moment to show Nicholas who still had the power. Nicholas had no right to demand anything. "We have nothing actually," Victor claimed.

Nicholas looked down believing Victor. A bad feeling came over him as he imagined what his sister would do if they never found Daniel. "I don't like it that we know nothing about his whereabouts."

Victor wasn't keen on the situation either and tried to keep Nicholas together so he was useful. "We will uncover something soon," he encouraged before he heard a door where he was. "I believe Maggie has returned. I should sign off."

After the screen went black, Nicholas turned to Brady and lamented, "I don't like lying to my sister."

Brady eyed Nicholas for a second before responding, "I hear you will lie if you have to." He wondered if Nicholas would give him more information on how Victor helped him.

Nicholas turned white as he questioned how much Brady knew of his reasons for remaining in Salem. Victor had promised to keep it between them. Trying to play it off, Nicholas submitted, "I suppose this is one of those times I have to lie."

* * *

Lexie stepped off the hospital elevator rubbing her head. When she spotted Nathan and Melanie talking to each other nearby, she took a moment to recompose herself. Putting on a smile, she made her way over to them to comment, "Things seem to be gelling more now with the new doctors. We have a few more coming on in the next week."

Melanie tried to agree with Lexie, but her thoughts went to Daniel. "You hired some great new editions."

Realizing she caused Melanie to think about her father, Lexie apologized. "I hope my comment was not insensitive. I miss working with your dad, and I wish he had come back."

Melanie tried her hardest to hide her fear concerning her father's whereabouts, but there was something insincere with the way Lexie delivered her apology. After taking a mental breath, she casually replied, "I'm here to work my last shift before my vacation time. If you'll excuse me, I need to check in with Maxine."

Lexie turned to Nathan after Melanie disappeared into the hall. "I'm sorry about that. I know Melanie must be beside herself about Daniel." Internally, she reflected on what she went through when Abe was missing. "I hope Daniel is found and okay."

"I hope so, too," Nathan agreed before sharing, "Melanie is stronger than I expected. I mean – I always knew that about her, but she's not dwelling on her father much."

Lexie wondered if Melanie was hiding it but chose not to voice her thoughts. "Are you going on vacation as well? I don't think I reflected that on the schedule if you are."

Nathan grabbed a file and placed it under his arm. "I'm not actually. I need to be here."

Confused, Lexie questioned, "What is she going to do while you're here working?"

"She's been spending a lot of time with her brother, so she'll probably just hang out with him," Nathan replied while shrugging his shoulders. "I'm not really sure. She hasn't said much about it to be honest."

Joselyn walked up looking at her watch. Raising her head, she asked, "Dr. Carver, are we still on for our meeting in your office?"

Confused at first, it took Lexie a moment before she realized what Joselyn was asking about. "Seems I am apologizing a lot today. We're meeting about the needs for the psych department of the hospital." Turning to Nathan, she placed her hand on his arm. "I will talk to you later. If you decide you want some time off to spend with your wife just let me know."

Joselyn smiled at Nathan before Lexie escorted her to her office. Once they arrived and took their seats, Joselyn handed Lexie a file and adjusted her glasses. "This is a list of what we need at the moment. I know everything won't be approved, but it would be great if you could consider everything on the list."

"Thanks for getting this together for me," Lexie started before apologizing again. "I am sorry our meeting slipped my mind."

Joselyn gave Lexie an understanding smile. "I know you are a busy woman, so no worries," she stated hoping she could have a more personal conversation with Lexie. "Are you okay? I know it's been almost a year since your husband's death."

Lexie put the file down to make eye contact with Joselyn. She wanted to show someone in the hospital that she had her emotions under control. "I am fine," she released, but as she continued, her eyes returned to Joselyn's file. "I am considering taking the day off tomorrow since it will mark one year since Abe left me."

Joselyn gave Lexie a look of sympathy because she knew grief all too well. Hoping Lexie would open up to her, she offered, "If you ever need anything let me know. I'm a good listener."

Lexie nodded to Joselyn without looking up. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to talk about it. We have work to do."

"You're right about that," Joselyn agreed without any sign of hesitation. Deep down, she was upset that Lexie didn't want to talk to her. She needed to be patient.

* * *

Celeste paced the living room of the Carver household unable to shake a weird feeling that suddenly came over her. Recognizing that the feeling was somehow connected to her daughter, she whispered, "Alexandra," to herself. She reflected on her current situation with Lexie and wondered if that is why she was feeling so odd. Things were not good. Lexie was not happy with her or life in general.

Celeste felt horrible for being away for so long. At the same time, she knew she had to go away to protect the family. Crossing her arms, she sighed because there was still so much work she needed to accomplish.

The ring of the doorbell pulled Celeste from her thoughts. Opening the door, she was pleased when she saw who decided to stop by. "Chad. It is good to see you in Salem again."

Chad smiled and sighed. "Well, you and my brother are the only ones who are happy to see me so far. Is Lexie around?"

Celeste motioned Chad towards the couch. "She is not. Would you like to sit and talk over some tea? I am interested to know of your journey while you were away from Salem."

Chad figured he had some time to spare since EJ wanted him away from Dimera Enterprises. As he made his way to the couch, there was a sudden knock at the door. "Are you expecting someone else?"

Celeste denied it and headed for the door. As soon as she grabbed the doorknob she knew exactly who was on the other side. Wishing she didn't have to answer the door, Celeste greeted Maddalena with a forced smile while forgetting the formalities. "And what are you doing here?"

Maddalena ignored the formalities with Celeste as well and walked right in. "I want to speak to your daughter..." Gasping, she threw her hand on her chest when she saw Chad in front of her. "Chad Dimera. You have returned to Salem."

Chad walked over to Maddalena and eyed her for a moment because he felt indifferent about seeing her. "I got back yesterday," he shared. "It's good to see you, but Lexie isn't home."

Maddalena knew Lexie wasn't home and that Chad was there. After her conversation with her contact the night before, she knew she needed to find a way to accidentally bump into Chad. Lexie was only her excuse so she didn't raise any suspicion. Turning to Celeste, she continued to play it safe. "Where is Alexandra?"

"Alexandra is at work and does not want to be disturbed," Celeste answered. "She told me so before she left this morning."

Chad studied Celeste and Maddalena and noted something was off with the way they were talking. Something was wrong, but he had no idea what. Unfortunately, he didn't get to ask because his aunt placed her hand on his back to grab his attention.

"Why have you decided to return to Salem?" Maddalena asked first. "Did you miss the family?"

Chad nodded his head and replied, "I am here to work for the family. I should have never walked away." Feeling a great discomfort from gazing at her red-tinted hair, he decided he should go. "I have some things I need to do today. I'll try to catch Lexie another time."

Maddalena kept Chad for a moment longer by offering, "I would like to have you over for dinner soon. Please do not be a stranger."

Chad nodded his head to Maddalena and Celeste. "You two have a good day."

With Chad gone, Celeste prayed Maddalena would be next. She did not appreciate the woman showing up randomly and cutting her time with Chad short. "You came here to talk to my daughter, but she's not home. Why are you still here?"

Maddalena let out a chuckle. "Do not worry, Celeste. I will take my leave soon enough. I want you to know something." Getting in Celeste's face, she became quite serious as she shared, "I enjoyed life so much more when you were away."

Celeste did not flinch, but she didn't fight back either. Holding back the desire to tell Maddalena off, she kept her reasons for leaving Salem veiled. "Now that you have expressed your feelings, you can leave."

Maddalena chuckled again and left. Heading to her car, she pondered what the returns of Chad and Celeste meant for her and the family. She couldn't let them get in the way again.

* * *

At the Chicago Airport, Rex and Cassie helped Will with his luggage. After they had everything out of the car, Rex commented, "We'll send the rest of your stuff back to your apartment," before asking, "Are you sure you have to leave now?"

Will nodded his head and said, "Even though I enjoyed staying with the both of you and experienced a lot at the studio, I know this is what I need to do." Picking up his luggage, he looked down trying to stay positive about his future. "Thanks Aunt Cassie for setting up this opportunity for me. I really hope you are not disappointed in me."

Cassie immediately gave Will a hug because she did not want him to feel bad for leaving early. "I am sad that you're leaving, but I am not upset with you."

Feeling better, Will let go of his luggage and hugged Cassie back. After he hugged her, he went over to Rex to do the same. "Promise me you two won't forget about me when I get on that plane."

Cassie smiled at Will and promised, "We won't. I know Rex and I are glad we could connect with you over most of the summer."

Rex agreed with his sister. "Call us when you arrive in Salem tonight."

"I will," Will promised before taking a deep breath. He couldn't believe he would be back in Salem soon enough.


	6. Chapter 6 Hold Off

**Chapter 6: Hold Off – Tuesday, August 20th, 2013**

At the Dimera Mansion, Marco had his phone in his hand when Chad walked in. Putting his phone away, Marco gave Chad a smile as he shared, "Your brother just informed me of your return, Mr. Dimera."

Thinking nothing of it, Chad simply nodded his head to acknowledge Marco before trying to head upstairs. He had a lot he needed to accomplish, so he could move forward with his plan. He hoped EJ definitely wanted to move ahead with his proposal.

"Mr. Dimera," Marco called out to Chad to make him stop. "I have some important questions I need to ask you."

Chad walked down the stairs scratching the back of his head. He was confused and did not understand what _important questions_ Marco needed to ask him. "What do you need to know?"

Marco was set to ask his first question when Azzura walked into the mansion unannounced. "Oh, hello," she let out surprised to see Chad there.

Chad was surprised as well. He did not understand how Azzura could just walk in like she owned the place. "What are you doing?" he asked letting his wonderment show.

Azzura eyed Marco for a moment as she scratched her forehead. Changing her focus onto Chad, she answered, "Sami and I are meeting here, but I came a bit early. Are the kids here? I thought I could spend some time with them before she arrived."

As Chad felt even more confused, Marco gave her a response, "The children are not here."

Chad turned his attention to Marco. He realized he hadn't seen Johnny and Sydney since his return. He felt like a horrible uncle for not even thinking of them when he was staying in the Dimera mansion again. "Where are the kids?"

Marco eyed Azzura wishing she would go elsewhere so he could talk to Chad. "I will tell you once we have things figured out with you," he answered.

Figuring she had interrupted something, Azzura decided, "I will just wait in the main room for Sami, so you two are allowed to talk."

Chad watched as Azzura left the foyer for the living room. There were a lot of things he did not understand since his return to Salem. As soon as he knew he could, he leaned in closer to Marco and quietly asked, "What is going on here? Does she usually just barge in like that?"

Marco didn't want to dwell on Azzura because he needed to check in with Chad about some things. "A lot has changed since you left," he shared before moving forward with his agenda. "I need to know why you have returned."

Chad quickly became defensive because of how dismissive Marco seemed with his questions. First, Marco wouldn't tell him where the kids were and now he didn't want to tell him about Azzura. It was as if he no longer had a place in his father's mansion. "Why do you need to know? Has EJ gone soft and put you in command of my father's house?"

Marco really didn't have the patience to deal with this because he had a lot on his plate. Even still, he held his tongue and frustration, so he could remain respectful to the family he gave his life to. "Mr. Dimera, I believe you have misunderstood my reasons for wanting to know about your return. I am still responsible for security in this house, and I want to be sure you didn't have any problems while you were away. It's important that you tell me if you were threatened in any way."

Chad grabbed his shoulder feeling horrible for chewing Marco out when he was only trying to do his job. Softening his tone, he gave Marco answers. "I came back because I wanted to. I didn't have any problems – threats or trouble – in Texas, so no worries there."

Marco was glad to hear that, but he knew he needed to verify everything Chad had shared. Remembering how EJ asked him to question Chad about Stefano, he stated, "We should probably discuss your father. Your brother told you of his condition in the letter he left with you in Texas."

It was rather late, so Chad stopped Marco from continuing. "I don't want to talk about him right now. I apologize for my defensiveness when you were only doing your job. I ask that you allow me to do the work I need to do now. If you need to know anything else, we can figure out another time for us to talk."

Before Chad could leave, Marco stopped him one last time. "Your nephew and niece are with Mary. She took them to the park for the day if you're interested in seeing them."

After Chad nodded and disappeared on the second floor, Azzura found herself in the foyer again. She wanted to talk to Marco alone. "Is everything okay?"

Marco gave Azzura a diffident look. "I do not have the time you require. With Chad's return, I have more work to do to make sure this family remains safe. I'm sorry," he said before walking out the door.

Alone, Azzura walked back into the living room and looked the decorations over. She loved how the Dimeras deeply buried themselves in Italian culture and felt she had finally started finding herself in this setting. Reflecting on how much her life had changed over the last year alone, she believed wholeheartedly her life would continue to get better as she grew into her prime.

* * *

On his flight to Salem, Will placed the book he was reading on the food tray in front of him. He struggled getting lost in the story because his brain was preoccupied with the possible reactions on his early return home. Grabbing his book again and raising the food tray, he unzipped his bag to put the book away. He pondered what his life would be like now that he was finished with his internship. Would he get a million questions on why he returned so early? Would his family and friends understand the reasons? Did Chad tell him the truth about staying in Salem?

Will zipped his bag and returned it to the bottom of the seat in front of him. He sighed and looked out the airplane window hoping that everyone back home would not be disappointed in him. Watching the clouds outside, he reflected on what Cassie said to him. Even though she claimed she was not upset with him, he was disappointed in himself.

A voice distracted Will from his fearful thoughts. It came from the person sitting next to him. "Hi. You look really familiar."

Will looked in the direction of his neighbor and recognized the woman who had called out to him. "You're the mayor of Salem," he released wondering how he didn't realize she had been there this entire time.

The mayor smiled and confirmed who she was with a nod. "I'm sorry I don't know your name, but you do look familiar."

Will escaped the questions running through his mind to finally introduce himself. "Sorry. I'm Will Horton."

The mayor nodded her head knowing why she found Will so familiar now. "Oh yes. You are Roman Brady's grandson. Your cousin, Abigail, helped me get this office after EJ Dimera stepped down."

"Right," Will stated. "She and Ezra did an article on you in Salem University's newspaper."

Twirling her almost white blonde hair, the mayor smiled knowing that article changed everything for her. "I know it's just a paper for the university, but you'd be amazed at how many people, in fact, read it and share it. I actually haven't had the chance to meet Abigail and Ezra to thank them in a more personal way."

"I could tell them for you," Will offered. He was glad to help her since she was currently helping him escape his fears.

The mayor was surprised and impressed by Will's willingness to help her. "Would you?" she asked to be sure he really wanted to do this. After he agreed, she had a better idea. Pulling out her wallet, she withdrew a business card with all of her information on it. "Please give this to your cousin and Ezra. I would love to meet with the both of them."

Will took the card and looked it over. "Sure. I'll give it to them as soon as I see them."

The mayor smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, Will. You're a doll."

* * *

In his office at Dimera Enterprises, EJ had Kate on the phone talking about Stefano. "I want to know if father has had any unexpected visitors in the last few months."

Completely confused by EJ's enquiry, Kate felt attacked because she believed he was questioning her trust and competence. "EJ, I have kept my eyes on everything, and I've told all personnel to report everything to me. I would know if anything suspicious was going on."

EJ wondered if that was true. He still had questions on how much Chad knew concerning the circumstances of their family. He knew his brother was aware of their father being alive, but there were more questions he needed answers to. He found it odd that Chad seemed to have his own plan in motion before he showed up at the Dimera mansion the day before. "It may not be necessarily suspicious. Has anyone in the family come out to visit my father besides me?"

Kate was now suspicious of EJ's questions. "Family? EJ, who do you think has been out here?"

EJ leaned back in his chair and took a moment to decide on what to say to Kate. "Has my aunt, sister, or brother been out there?"

"Your brother?" Kate quickly picked up. "Why would your brother visit Stefano? He walked out on the family and hasn't contacted anyone."

EJ pulled forward on his desk hoping Kate would not realize that Chad was back in Salem. He knew she would not be happy to hear that news. Attempting to cover his tracks, he lied, "I was just giving you an example of what I want to know. I know Alexandra has been out there before, but it has been a while, correct?"

Kate knew EJ was trying to manipulate the direction of their conversation but wondered why he would feel the need to do so. "She hasn't been here since the beginning, but I believe she has called to check in a few times," she informed him before suddenly claiming, "I need to let you go. I will talk to you later."

EJ couldn't get another word in because Kate terminated the phone call on her end. He found her sudden farewell on the phone quite dodgy but wasn't awarded the time to dwell on that because Sami entered his office with Dario and Ignazio. Putting his phone away, he greeted his wife, "Samantha. Do you three have something for me?"

"We do," Sami announced while nodding her head to Dario, so he would hand EJ a piece of paper. "Dario, Ignazio, and I have been working on a new venture for Dimera Enterprises to take on."

EJ smiled with nervous excitement as he looked over the sheet Dario handed him. "I'm intrigued to hear what you have come up with."

Sami moved closer to EJ, so she could also glance at the sheet of paper EJ held in his hand. "I was really inspired this weekend when we to Victor and Maggie's wedding reception. You joked with me about getting involved in Abigail's love life, and an idea came to me. I believe we need to go into wedding designs – dresses, venues, tuxes, fashion. It's all on there. Of course, it would be Dimera style fashions. I have a lot of past experiences with weddings, and I figure it's time I put that to good use."

EJ couldn't help but grin at his wife. "I'm all for you moving from planning your own weddings to helping others get ideas for their own. You're married to me now, and I don't have plans for that to ever change."

As Sami gave her husband a satisfied smile and wink, Ignazio and Dario stepped in. "As you know, I grew up in Italia, so I am very connected to Italian culture and our family customs. I believe I can help in assuring the Dimera brand is as bold and exciting as life in Italia," Ignazio shared.

Dario added, "We could also bring in others to help with this project. I know Azzura would be a great addition to this project, and with Ignazio's connections in Italy, we could create something legitimate and new."

EJ was intrigued by their ideas but wanted more. "I say..."

"I hope I am not intruding," Maddalena interrupted as she walked into EJ's office.

EJ stood up and greeted his aunt with a kiss on the cheek. Turning to the others, he instructed, "Dario and Ignazio, please help Samantha put something more official together. I'd like to see who we want on this project, and if we have anyone on staff already who can help. I want an official presentation for potential investors as soon as possible."

After Dario and Ignazio agreed to EJ's instructions, Sami stepped in with her own. "We can meet tomorrow since we're so close to the end of the workday," she said as she made her way to EJ. Grabbing her husband's hand, she gave him a kiss and shared, "I will see you later. I'm meeting Azzura soon for girls' night."

EJ gave Sami another kiss before she left with Dario and Ignazio. Giving his full attention to his aunt, he offered her a seat, so she could relax. "Please sit."

Maddalena took her place across from EJ. Lowering her hands onto her lap, she questioned, "Do you truly believe Sami is good for her job?"

EJ gave Maddalena a curious look as he claimed, "Samantha has put in a lot of work for this company and has come up with a lot of great ideas in moving forward."

Maddalena made sure to give her nephew a pleased look. Deep down, she still contemplated whether she wanted Sami to be a part of the family in the long run. "I am glad to hear that. Since she and Azzura will be out tonight, you and the children should come for dinner at my home."

"That would be lovely," EJ gladly accepted. Crossing his legs, he questioned, "So did you come to talk to me about my wife?"

Realizing she had gotten sidetracked by Sami, Maddalena quickly shook her head. "Oh, no, no, no. I came here to talk about your sister, Lexie. I worry about her."

Lexie played heavily in EJ's mind and heart. He confessed, "I feel guilty because I have not been the brother she desperately needs."

"You are being pulled in too many directions," Maddalena excused him even though he didn't ask for it. "Even though I believe you were a great mayor of this town, you made the right decision in stepping down."

EJ nodded his head as he took a deep breath. "I do, too, but I still feel like there is so much that needs to be done. Regardless, I need to make Lexie a priority."

Maddalena nodded her head. Her thoughts went to the new mayor and then to Chad. "I saw your brother earlier today. Be sure to tell him about dinner tonight."

EJ agreed to his aunt's suggestion. "I will."

* * *

Joselyn's pen touched the last form she needed to sign off on at the hospital. Stacking the papers together by hitting them against the top of the nurses' station, she looked up as Chelsea and Sonny exited the elevator. "Hey you, two," she waved them over.

Chelsea led Sonny over to Joselyn. "Hey!"

"Where are you two coming from?" Joselyn asked curiously.

Chelsea traded a glance with Sonny as she answered, "Sonny and I had lunch with Abigail at the square, and then we walked around for a bit."

Joselyn remembered that Tuesdays were Chelsea's lighter days. The clock on the nurses' station reminded her of something else. "Are you ready for our weekly staffing? We should head in that direction soon."

Nodding her head, Chelsea replied she was ready before turning to Sonny to ask, "What are you doing later tonight?"

Sonny shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have any plans, so I am open."

"Awesome," Chelsea exclaimed. "You should come over for dinner. My dad and Hope are going out, so Ciara and I are cooking and watching a couple of movies."

The thought of escaping another lonely night at his apartment was very appealing, so Sonny naturally accepted the offer. "I'll be there. I guess call me when you're ready for me to come over."

Chelsea agreed to call him and left for the hall with Joselyn.

Looking around, Sonny pondered what he could do with himself now. He loathed being alone because it left him to his thoughts of how depressing his life really was. He desperately wished he would find someone to hang with between now and dinner time.

"Sonny," Lexie called out from a different hall.

Sonny's ears perked up because what he wished for had come true. Turning to Lexie, he wondered, "Did you need something?"

Lexie studied her surroundings and asked, "Have you seen your Uncle Jack?"

A sense of disappointment came over Sonny because Lexie was looking for his uncle. He began to assume she didn't have time for a conversation, but that did not stop him from trying. "I haven't," he answered first. "How are you doing?"

Lexie continued to study the area but not for Jack and Nicole. She wanted to avoid eye contact as she answered Sonny's question. "I'm okay. I bet you miss Will. When is he back for good?"

Sonny noted how Lexie moved on quickly but didn't mind it because she seemed interested in talking with him. "Will should be back at the end of the month in time for school to start up. It's weird that the fall semester is already here," he released with a smile.

Lexie released a smile, too. "Busy times are coming," she commented as she finally made eye contact with Sonny. "I..." Lexie stopped because she heard the elevator make a sound. As the doors opened, Jack and Nicole walked out of it. "Oh good. They're here."

Sonny stepped back as Jack and Nicole made their way over to Lexie. He was tempted to stick around but knew from the looks on the others' faces, he had no reason to be there. After greeting his uncle and Nicole, he made his way to the elevator to leave.

A sense of nervousness ran through Lexie's body now that she was alone with Jack and Nicole. With a small hand gesture, she directed, "Let's go to my office, so we can discuss your story on me there."

Nicole and Jack followed Lexie to her office. After everyone took their seats, Nicole started, "We are really excited about this story because we know how much work you put in this hospital. It's been a year since..."

"Before we start, I have a request for the both of you," Lexie cut Nicole off.

Jack leaned back and raised his right leg to rest his right ankle on his left leg. "Request? Do you want us to avoid talking to any specific people? We're meeting with a few doctors tomorrow morning before the story."

Lexie took a moment as she pondered Jack's question. It was something she had not considered but realized his assumption kept her from revealing her real request. Shaking her head, she said, "No. I know your story airs tomorrow night, so we can get to that soon. Tomorrow marks one year since my husband left me, and it is ridiculous that we still aren't sure why. That's where you two come in. I want you to investigate Abe's death."

Jack and Nicole glanced at each other surprised by what Lexie was asking of them. They really weren't sure how to respond to her. Attempting to understand better, Jack summarized what he knew of Abe's death. "The police and hospital have claimed they have no idea why Abe's organs shut down. It could be connected to what happened to him while he was kidnapped, but as far as I know there's nothing that would support that completely."

Lexie took a deep breath to calm herself. She wasn't exactly sure how she was doing it, but she was able to hold herself together. It took all the strength she had left. "We can talk more about this later. My time is limited and we should get to the interview before I have to go. I just want to know if you two will do this for me."

Nicole looked to Jack as she nodded her head. "We will do this," she answered figuring Jack wouldn't object. "When would be a good time for us to talk about it?"

Lexie sighed and tried to think through what the rest of her week would look like. Since she was taking Wednesday off, she knew she would have to play catch up the rest of the week. "You two can start digging for info, but I'd like to sit with you sometime next week if possible."

Jack nodded his head in agreement. "We can do that. How much time do we have for this interview?"

Lexie looked at the time knowing she wouldn't be able to control her emotions much longer. "I have time for a few questions. Maybe four to five, and I'd rather not be on camera if possible – a picture is fine and quotes are fine, but I really don't want video feed of me on the news tomorrow."

Jack eyed the camera he brought with him. Hiding his disappointment, he agreed to Lexie's request. "Well, let's start the interview then."

Lexie forced a smile. "Okay."

* * *

After checking out some venues online and leaving a few messages, Chad walked down the stairs debating what he wanted to do the rest of the evening. It was almost time for dinner, but the mansion was really quiet. No one was home.

The front door suddenly opened. Mary entered the Dimera mansion with Johnny and Sydney in tow. "We need to get upstairs so you two can get ready for dinner at your great-aunt's house," Mary announced to the kids.

Johnny was about to respond to Mary, but when he saw Chad he jumped on him immediately. "Chad! You're home!"

Chad held Johnny for a moment before putting him down. "Yeah, man. I'm back. I missed you and your sister." Kneeling down, Chad gave Sydney a hug even if she was confused as to who he was.

Mary stepped back for a moment to allow the family reunion. Johnny placed his hand on Chad's shoulder to keep him at his level. He had so many questions to ask Chad. "Did you get what you needed out of Salem? Are you going to leave again? Have you talked to Will? Do you still love him?"

Chad grabbed the back of his neck unsure of where to start. He wondered what Johnny understood of his running away from Salem. "I'm not leaving again," he started as his thoughts went to Will and the broken promises he made to the both of them.

Before Chad could say anything else, EJ entered the mansion distracting Johnny and Sydney. "It's my favorite son and daughter," he let out as he gave them a hug.

"We're your only son and daughter," Johnny pointed out.

EJ eyed Chad as Chad stood up again. Turning to Mary, he requested, "Will you take the kids so they can get ready for dinner. I'd like to talk to my brother alone for a moment."

Mary agreed and took the kids upstairs.

When the coast was clear, EJ studied his brother wondering if he had the chance to catch up with Lexie. "Did you visit with our sister today?"

Chad shook his head. "She wasn't home, so I'll try to see her tomorrow I guess," he shared. "Is there something I should know about?"

EJ stalled for a moment before saying, "Well, Maddalena has invited us to dinner tonight. She asked me to talk to you about it. You should come with us. The kids seem excited to have their uncle back."

Chad thought about his run in with Maddalena earlier. She seemed to really want to pull him back into the family fold but something didn't feel right about it. "Maybe another night. I think I am doing dinner solo tonight. I need some time alone to reflect on my return."

Concern covered EJ's face because Chad seemed to want to distance himself from the family once again. "Are you sure you haven't talked to Lexie?"

Chad gave his brother a suspicious look wondering what he meant by his question. "I haven't. What's going on EJ?"

EJ threw his hands in the air and dropped the conversation. "We can talk later. I need to get ready for dinner. I hope you find what you're looking for tonight."

Even though he was still confused by what his brother had asked, Chad decided to let it go. He needed to get out of the house to wander around for a bit. "I'll see you later."

"Sounds good," EJ said as he watched his brother leave. Standing alone for a moment, he wondered what Chad was doing in Texas while he was gone.

* * *

Silence surrounded the dinner table at Arianna and Manny's condo later that evening. Manny had the night off and as planned, Dario came over to eat with his brother and sister. Arianna worked hard on the meal, trying to follow their mother's recipe to the T so Dario would experience a fond familiarity with them. She and Manny had big plans for their brother tonight.

Dario sensed the awkwardness in the room but attempted to avoid it by focusing on the food he was eating. It had been some time since he had a meal that reminded him of his mother. He glanced up to his siblings and noted they were trying to focus on their plates as well. He questioned what they were thinking and realized there was something they wanted to say to him. They were waiting for the right moment.

"The food is delicious," Dario stated breaking the silence. "Mama would be proud of you tonight."

Arianna swallowed her last bite and placed her fork down. Wiping her mouth with her napkin, she lifted her head to look at her young brother. "I'm glad you like it. I was worried..."

Dario waited a moment for Arianna to finish her statement but when he saw the look of discomfort in her eyes, he recognized she had no plans of continuing. "Ari. What are you worried about?"

Manny now stopped eating and wiped his face with his napkin. "This meal reminds me of Mama and what we lost the day she died. It's been over a year and a half since then, and eating this meal makes me feel like she's here."

"Me, too," Dario admitted. The awkwardness continued to surround them even though the silence had left – or did it? Taking one last bite, Dario followed suit and put his fork down after he swallowed. "It's been quiet since we sat down to eat," he pointed out to Manny and Arianna.

Arianna tilted her head looking away from her brothers. "Sorry. It's been a long day, but we are talking now."

Wanting to make things less awkward, Manny chose to make small talk so Dario's suspicions weren't raised. Hopefully, he didn't suspect anything. "It seems like it's been forever since I've had a night off. Job is kind of boring with Victor and Maggie gone. Brady is still around, but he doesn't command the same attention as his grandfather."

Dario was aware that his siblings were treading lightly. He wanted to enjoy this evening with them, but their demeanor was making it quite difficult. "It's still quiet," he hesitated. He questioned if he really wanted to do this but figured it was too late now. "It was quiet before because everyone wasn't saying a word, but now it's quiet because no one wants to say what they want. Why did you really ask me to come here for dinner – without Ignazio?"

Arianna shook her head and threw her napkin on the table. "Don't bring Ignazio into this, and just so we're clear, Manny and I asked you here for dinner because we are still a family. You said things wouldn't change when you chose to live with Ignazio, but the truth is things have changed."

"I thought you said this had nothing to do with Ignazio?" Dario cross-examined.

Manny gave his brother a look. "Hold on, Dario. You need to hear your sister out completely."

Sighing heavily, Dario agreed with a nod to let his sister finish saying her piece.

Adjusting her hair, Arianna finally turned to Dario, so she could continue to share her thoughts. "We attend mass every Sunday morning, and – if time permits – we have lunch together, but I feel as though we really aren't together. There is something missing, and I think I know what it is."

Dario bit his lip and waited to make sure Arianna had said what she needed. Glancing back and forth between her and Manny, he realized they both felt the same way. After clearing his throat, he tried to remain as cavalier about everything as possible. He felt a sense that his brother and sister blamed him for the change in their family dynamic, and if he was honest with himself, he felt the same.

"You believe there is something missing?" Dario asked rhetorically because he had answers of his own. "Maybe it's the fact that Mama's gone. Manny, you stated a few moments ago that we lost something when she died. Isn't it possible, she is the missing link?"

"Dario..."

Holding off his brother's protest, Dario continued to give options. "Or maybe it's the fact that Gabi is gone. She's been gone for the same amount of time as Mama. She walked out on this family to pursue a better life. I'm glad she did so, but at the same time it hurts because..."

"Dario…"

Dario shook his head because he was not finished saying his piece. "No, let me continue because I think I know what you're trying to tell me," he dictated. "It hurts because I ruined everything. What's missing is me. I messed up the family and because of my decisions, I have ruined your lives."

Manny couldn't take it anymore and slammed his hand against the table. "Dario, that is enough!" he exclaimed. "We did not bring you here to make you feel bad. We asked you to dinner because we miss you! We love you!"

Hearing the frustration in Manny's voice kept Dario from hearing the sincerity of his brother's words. He stood up and howled, "What do you want from me? I have tried so hard to make things right. I know what I did, and I have tried to make peace with it. I have gone to God, Mary, Jesus... anyone – who can give me guidance on my issue, but what I'm doing is apparently not enough for anyone else!"

The water in Dario's eyes brought on the return of the haunting silence. Attempting to bring an end to the torment her brother had just released on them, Arianna stood up and carefully approached her brother. "Dario, what are you talking about? Manny and I asked you here because we want to spend time with you. We miss you. We want you to come to us whenever you need something. We want to be there for you."

Dario fell down into his chair completely embarrassed that he lost himself that way. Trying to hide his shame, he continued with the accusatory questions. "Is that really all you wanted tonight? There's nothing else?"

Manny hated that Dario was so skeptical of their dinner invitation, but he also hated the fact that he was right. "There is something else," he admitted. "However, it's nothing horrible. Your sister and I want you to move back in with us, so we can all reconnect. That's what is missing."

Dario huffed for a moment to calm himself down. The truth had been revealed, and he didn't know what to make of it. He pondered what his reaction would have been if they had been upfront with what they wanted from the get go but then figured his answer would have been the same regardless. "I can't do that. I cannot live here with you two."

"Why not?" Arianna asked softly trying to mask her annoyance and heartbreak.

Finally wiping his face of the almost dried tears, Dario looked up to his brother and sister. "I can't turn my back on Ignazio and my grandmother. I enjoy living with Ignazio. He's helped me so much. He believes in me, and that is how I've managed to survive everything."

Manny shook his head at his brother. "We believe in you, too," he argued.

Dario knew Manny and Arianna believed in him, but he worried they believed in something he didn't want to be. He didn't want to forget what his mother wanted for him. After taking a few deep breaths, he requested, "Then let me live my life. Trust me. Trust I know what I'm doing. I can't live here."

Arianna fell into her seat allowing defeat to fill her body. She couldn't look at anyone else because this was not how she hoped the night would end. She hoped this did not make things worse.

Placing his hand on his sister's shoulder, Manny gave his brother a nod to show he accepted his terms. "You do what you have to do, hermano. We only want you to know we're here. That's all we ask of you."

Dario inhaled deeply before exhaling, "I know. Don't worry."

* * *

At the Horton Town Square, Jennifer watched her daughter as they walked out of Mandalay Café. After arriving home from work, she decided on some evening shopping when she noticed there was something on Abigail's mind. Trying to get information from her, she found a table for them to sit and talk. "I've updated you about everything I'm dealing with at the hospital, so how about you tell me what's going on with you."

Memories of what happened the night before plagued Abigail's mind. She welcomed the distraction her mother provided when she offered to take her shopping, but now that she knew why her mother did so, she wished she had declined and stayed home. "Things are just transitioning I guess," she started while trying to avoid sitting at the table. "I'm starting my second year of grad school, and it's a weird thought that I will be done with school soon."

Jennifer studied her daughter and wanted to believe her, but something told her she was trying to cop-out from the truth. Even still, she knew she couldn't just call her out on doing that. Stopping her daughter and turning her around, she asked Abigail, "Are you sure that's all you're dealing with? You seemed fine when I saw you yesterday morning."

The concern on her mother's face almost caused Abigail to crack, but she remained set on not discussing Ezra with her. "Yeah," she said softly. "I'll be okay though."

Since Abigail was so focused on convincing her mother that she was fine, she didn't see Ezra when he walked up to them. "Evening. How are you tonight, Ms. Horton?"

Noticing how her daughter was surprised and uncomfortable to see Ezra there, Jennifer wondered if something happened between them. She gave Ezra a small smile as she responded for the both of them. "We are doing just fine – enjoying some mother-daughter time."

"That's good," Ezra let out as he looked down. He built up the courage to look at Abigail as he requested, "Can I have a moment alone with you, Deveraux?"

Nervousness took over Abigail as well as she glanced to her mother. Jen agreed to give them time alone and walked away. Abigail turned her eyes to Ezra hoping he only wanted to talk to her about their internship at _The Spectator_. "What's up?"

Eyeing the empty table they were standing next to, Ezra knew he needed to tread carefully. "I hope things are not awkward between us. I wish things had played out differently last night."

Abigail understood Ezra's words differently than he intended. She believed he wished he never admitted to being interested in her because he wasn't. Hoping that's what he meant, she replied, "It's okay. We can move past this. Things don't have to be awkward."

"So you only want to be friends?"

Abigail twiddled her thumbs as the awkwardness only increased. Maybe she didn't understand Ezra. "I don't know what to tell you, Ezra. I think we should only focus on our work together. Let's not go down this road."

Ezra couldn't believe how cold Abigail was about this. It didn't make sense. "We've had a lot of fun together over the last couple years or so. What about the wedding on Sunday? I was your date, and we had fun together, didn't we?"

Abigail looked down before taking a seat. She didn't know what to say to Ezra. She didn't want to have this conversation. "The fun times we had together were as friends. We should keep it that way."

Ezra took a seat as well. He looked her over noting she couldn't even look at him when she said that. He had no plans on giving up.

As Ezra and Abigail continued to talk, Jennifer ran into Celeste, who was sitting at another table. Remembering what Celeste told her at the Carver house the day before, Jennifer contemplated not saying anything because she didn't understand the fear Celeste felt from her. Eventually, she decided not to be rude. "Celeste. What are you doing out here alone?"

Celeste wasn't alone – at least she didn't feel alone. She felt an uncertainty surrounding her but did not understand it. Glancing up to Jennifer, she wondered if it was from her. She chose not to say anything though. Jennifer wasn't ready to hear her words. "I decided to come out for some air. Alexandra is spending time with Theo. It's important she has some time with him alone."

Lexie's confession to Jennifer the day before played in Jennifer's mind. She still questioned if Lexie was safe and okay – even with Theo around her. "Do you think Lexie is okay? I'm worried about her."

A different vibe injected itself into Celeste as she thought of her daughter. "I am unsure. She is working, and I know she is focused, but I am not sure if she is living. She informed me she has decided to take the day off tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a hard day – that is what I am certain of."

True to her character, Jen could not let negativity and fear win. "Healing has to come at some point, right? She will find hope in something."

Celeste nodded her head in agreement. "Yes. Hope shall never die."

* * *

Nathan, Melanie, and Nicholas sat in a booth at the Brady Pub. They decided to grab dinner there instead of having it at Nathan and Melanie's house or Nicholas's apartment. A smile crept on Nathan's face as he watched Melanie joke around with her brother. Her beauty and the peace about her made him feel whole. He desperately wished he could do something to help with her father, but he didn't know how to bring it up when she seemed to be at peace with it.

"Stop being a punk!" Melanie playfully yelled at her brother. Giving him a hard slap on his back, she continued, "You're keeping something from me, and I will find out what it is!"

Nicholas covered his head to protect it from Melanie's flailing left hand. "There's nothing. I was only teasing you!" he let out with a laugh. "Let's just enjoy our meal and stop the violence!"

Maybe it was Nicholas. Nathan wondered how Melanie kept her mind off of Daniel's disappearance, and it hit Nathan for the first time that her brother seemed to make her smile and laugh a lot when he was around. It didn't make him jealous that her brother had this power over her, but he did question whether he could do the same if Nicholas wasn't around. Trying to help his brother-in-law out, Nathan interrupted the faux-fight by inquiring, "So whatever happened with your proposal, Melanie? You never told me how that went yesterday."

Melanie's playfulness almost ceased. Keeping a small smile on her face, she shrugged her shoulders as she answered ambiguously, "It was okay."

As Nathan continued to ask Melanie questions, Nicholas watched and felt guilty about all the lies he was living. He felt horrible because Nathan had no clue why he and Melanie were at Titan the day before. Nathan didn't know that she was concerned about her father, and Nicholas wasn't exactly sure why Melanie felt the need to keep it from her husband. Victor crossed his mind causing him to wonder why he needed to lie to his sister.

Arriving from Horton Town Square, Sami and Azzura found a table to sit and talk. "There's some business I want to discuss with you over dinner. Do you know what you want to eat already?" Sami asked her friend.

Azzura nodded her head as she shared her new favorite dish, "BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger."

Sami laughed because she had noticed the change in what Azzura ate since they first started hanging out. "I think I may get one as well." Looking around, she noted none of the waitresses were nearby. "I'll see what's going on in the kitchen and put in our orders."

Before Sami could get up to leave, Azzura grabbed Sami's hand to stop her. "I do not say this enough, Sami. Thank you for being such an amazing friend."

Sami gave Azzura a nod. It was weird, but she felt she finally had a friend she could confide in and trust. She never thought it was possible. ""It's no problem. You've helped me many times as well. I'll be back. There's that business thing I still want to discuss with you."

Sami had every intention of checking in with her grandmother in the kitchen, but as she stood up, her attention went to the entrance as someone walked in. She couldn't believe it and darted immediately towards the door. "What do you think you're doing here?"

Chad quickly placed his small journal in his back pocket and shook his head because he thought about looking through the window before walking in. Unfortunately, he did not because if he knew Sami was there, he would have turned around to go somewhere else. Scratching the back of his head, Chad replied, "I'm here to grab some dinner. It's been forever since I've had any of Will's great-grandmother's cooking." He really wanted to feel connected to Will while reflecting on his plan.

Sami crossed her arms and gave Chad a look of great disapproval. "You think she's actually going to serve you after what you did to her great-grandson – my son?! This is a family pub, and you have no right to be here!"

Chad managed to spot Melanie and Nathan sitting in a booth. Both made eye contact with him but neither did anything else to acknowledge him. Sighing and trying not to feel the rejection, he caved, "Fine. I'll leave, so I don't get in anyone else's way."

"Good!"

"I'm gone..."

"Great!" Sami exclaimed before realizing she had more to say to Chad. "Wait just one moment!"

Chad turned and gave Sami a confused and annoyed look. "What? What do you want from me? You want to yell at me some more and embarrass the both of us?"

Sami became even more frustrated but reeled in the volume of her voice. With great intensity, she moved closer to Chad and warned, "If you mess up Will's life anymore, I will own you!"

Chad backed off with his hands in the air to show he wasn't a threat. "Message received. Enjoy your dinner."

After Chad left, Sami returned to her seat and tried her best not to fume. Looking to Azzura, she swore, "He may not think I'm serious, but I am. I won't let him destroy Will's life again. There's no way in hell I'm going to let that happen."

* * *

Will walked through the door of the apartment he shared with Sonny. He managed to make it back to Salem unnoticed, and he was happy about it. He needed some time to breathe and prepare himself for his early return, but the lack of light in the apartment surprised him. Dropping his bags, he threw his keys on the coffee table and called out, "Sonny?"

No answer.

"That's weird," Will commented to himself as he pulled out his cell phone from his pocket. He decided to send a text message to his roommate to see where he was: "Hey man. Where you at?" After he pushed send, he took a seat on the couch to relax while he waited for Sonny to respond.

Sonny responded: "I'm hanging out with Chelsea and Ciara at their house. We're having a lot of fun. I might just stay the night here. What are you doing? Just getting out of the studio?"

Will expected he would talk to Sonny tonight about what happened the night before at the studio, but that clearly wasn't happening at this moment in time. Deciding not to tell Sonny he was back in Salem, he sent a text in response: "I'm resting now. You have a good night. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Sonny replied: "Sounds good. Goodnight."

A tiredness hit Will as he wished Sonny a good night as well. He looked at the time and noted it wasn't even that late. Remembering he promised he would call his aunt and uncle when he arrived, he dialed their number and waited for a response.

Rex picked up. "Hey, Will. You made it home?"

"Yeah," Will answered. "I'm so tired, and I'm ready to crash!"

Will could hear Rex laugh in the background. "I bet. Anyone keeping you up to talk to you about what happened?"

"Nope. I haven't seen anyone yet, and I think it's going to be that way for the rest of the night," Will answered. "I'll just hold off on telling everyone the news tomorrow. Maybe some sleep will give me the time I need to figure everything out."

"Sounds good," Rex mentioned with a yawn. "I'm glad you called now because I'm on my way to your aunt's club. I came home to change my clothes."

Will yawned suddenly and apologized. "Tell Aunt Cassie I'm okay. Have fun tonight."

"Will do," Rex agreed. "Sleep well, Will. Everything will work out as it should."

Will let out a sigh hoping it would. "Goodnight."


	7. Chapter 7 No Alibi

**Chapter 7: No Alibi – Wednesday, August 21st, 2013**

It was mid-morning when Sonny returned to his apartment from Bo and Hope's house. Just as he told Will the night before, he stayed the night there talking to Chelsea, so he wouldn't have to be alone. But now he was alone. The apartment was so quiet.

Needing an escape from the quiet already, Sonny pulled out his phone because he was desperate to have someone there with him. He called his lover and figured it was time they had a rendezvous again. After hearing his voice, Sonny smiled and asked, "Do you have time to come over for some fun?"

"I can come up with an excuse to come see you," the male voice said on the other side.

Sonny's smile grew as he admitted, "This sneaking around excites me more than I ever thought it would. How long do you need before you're here?"

"Give me..."

"Wait!" Sonny interrupted. Concern covered his face because he noticed something odd for the first time since stepping into his apartment. It was different somehow. "I think someone might be in my apartment – possibly Chad. Things aren't in the same place I left them. I'll call you back."

"Fine. Be careful."

Sonny hung up his phone but kept it close in case he needed it. He debated whether he should yell out to see if anyone was there but figured it would be best if he didn't in case someone else broke in. Tiptoeing into the kitchen, he looked around to see if there was anything different. There was a dirty bowl with a spoon in the sink. It wasn't there the night before when he left for Bo and Hope's house. "Chad was definitely here!" Sonny said to himself with annoyance.

Sonny's phone suddenly started to ring. Adrienne was calling. "Hey mom," he answered masking his irritation.

"Good morning sunshine," Adrienne started. "I have a huge favor to ask you."

"What's that?"

After a sigh of frustration and desperation, Adrienne shared, "I need you to head over to the Cheatin' Heart because there's a delivery issue. I had already informed everyone I would be out-of-town, but I guess someone forgot. Do you have time to help them with that? I called Marcus, but he's not available."

Sonny rubbed the top of his head because he really didn't want to. "Yeah, I have time," he replied knowing he couldn't lie to his mother. "When are you and dad coming back from Joey's?"

"We'll be back in a couple of weeks," Adrienne responded before sharing in excitement, "Your nephew is getting so big! You should have come with us!"

In some ways, Sonny wished he did as well. He could have been surrounded by family 24/7. "Yeah, I need to shower first, but then I'll head out to the bar."

"Thank you sweetie," Adrienne said. "Please get there as fast as you can."

After ending the call, Sonny sent a quick text message to his lover as he headed for the bathroom: "I can't meet now. Something came up. If you have time later today, we can have fun then. I'll text you later. Keep your phone close. ;)"

* * *

Will noted the strong wind as it pressed against him after he exited his car. It wasn't as robust as the wind in Chicago, but he couldn't help but notice the power of its push. Locking his car, he made his way to the entrance of the Dimera Mansion. After ringing the bell, he stepped back hoping he would find his mother there, so he could break the news of his return in person.

Sami was not home though. Chad answered the door shocked to see Will on the other side. He didn't expect to see his ex so soon, so it was a nice surprise. "Will?"

How could he be so stupid? Will shook his head disappointed in himself for not figuring Chad would be at the mansion. Turning his back on Chad, he decided to get out of there without a word.

Chad followed Will out of the house barefoot and stopped him from leaving by grabbing his arm. The look of disgust on his ex-boyfriend's face made him realize he should let go of his arm. "Sorry. I should not have grabbed you like that, but I guess I panicked. What are you doing here?" As soon as he asked Will that question, the possibility that Will returned to be with him ran through his mind.

Will rubbed his arm where Chad grabbed him. Avoiding eye contact, Will knew he didn't have to answer, but he figured he came here for a reason. "I need to talk to my mom. I just need to talk to her about something."

Chad sensed something big happened to Will by the tone in his voice. "Is everything okay?"

"Chad. Don't do this," Will requested. "Do you know where my mom is?"

Chad's concern only increased because he knew Will was holding something back. "Will, what's going on? Why aren't you in Chicago? Tell me what's going on."

Will wanted to get out of there, but something was keeping him there. He did not understand it. He couldn't leave. Looking up to Chad, he painfully revealed, "I was let go, Chad. The producer of the studio told me I was done because of what we – I mean, what you pulled Monday night."

Sadness possessed Chad's eyes as he attempted to move closer to Will, so he could touch him – so he could comfort him. "I am so sorry..."

"Don't," Will betrayed the push of the wind and stepped back from Chad, so he couldn't touch or hold him. With anger in his voice, he declared, "You ruined my life. It's not fair for you to just appear and do what you did in Chicago! I fell apart Chad! I fell apart when you left me! I had to pick myself back up and put myself together without you!"

Chad noted Will wouldn't even make eye contact with him while he spoke, but then he did. "Will... I..."

"No," Will said softly. The anger in his voice had vanished. "I said too much. I don't want to fight with you."

Chad's heart felt a sense of hope when Will said the last part. He kept his distance as he claimed, "I don't want to fight ei..."

Will stepped back one more time and now stood next to the driver's side door of his car. "Please leave me alone. I don't want to be near you anymore."

It was really painful for Chad to hear Will say those words. Wanting to offer some help – even if it was something insignificant – he called out to his ex one last time. "Your mom is at work. She's at Dimera Enterprises."

Will didn't bother saying or acknowledging what Chad had shared because he knew it would only keep him there longer. Getting in his car, he started it up and drove off.

Even though he was outside, Chad felt as though he was being crushed by six walls all around him. He already made a mess of things with his return. He didn't plan to hurt Will in this way, and the fact that he did caused him to question if he should call everything off.

Saved by the bell, his phone began to ring. He quickly answered even though he didn't recognize the number. It was a venue wanting to schedule an appointment with him to come check out the place. After deciding on Friday, Chad hung up his phone now determined he could not give up on his plan.

"Things will work out," Chad whispered to himself with conviction. He pulled out his small journal from his back pocket to look through it. Will's words stuck with him. "I can't give up on Will. He just needs some space, and I'll give him that."

* * *

Walking down the stairs of the Kiriakis Mansion, Brady could hear a voice coming from the main room. When he made it to the bottom, he recognized the voice as Manny's and questioned why Manny would say Sonny's name. Before he could walk in to find out who Manny was talking to, the doorbell rang. It was Eric. "Hey bro," Brady greeted his step-brother.

Eric smiled and entered with his photography equipment. "Is this still a good time for me to take pictures of the rooms Maggie plans to remodel?"

Manny ended his phone call when he heard voices in the foyer. Heading over, he heard Brady tell Eric, "Yeah. Everything is set up, and I think we are still safe to go anywhere in the mansion." Brady made sure to look at Manny to verify his claim.

Nodding his head, Manny confirmed, "We are safe. No trouble today."

Eric nodded his head to Manny, whom he really didn't know much about. "I'll take your word for it," he commented before stating, "I'm glad Maggie offered this job to me. I figured moving my business here would start off slow, so I appreciate the work."

"I'll make sure to tell her that," Brady offered before asking, "Have you talked to Sami yet?"

Eric adjusted some of his equipment around his shoulder as he shared, "I called her earlier and set up dinner with her tomorrow at the Dimera mansion. That gives me more than twenty-four hours to prepare."

With a wink, Brady cautioned his step-brother, "Be careful setting foot in that place. It might try to keep you there."

Eric laughed nervously unsure if Brady was being serious or not. He wasn't too worried though because he had stepped foot in the place before when he visited Salem for EJ and Sami's wedding. Wanting to get to work, he looked over to Manny. "It's okay for me to go up now?"

Manny nodded his head. "Everything has been cleared for you."

"Awesome," Eric sighed before making his way up to the next floor.

With Eric gone, Manny attempted to excuse himself by claiming, "I need to head out to the garden."

Brady crossed his arms and gave Manny a suspicious look. "I overheard you say Sonny's name on the phone before Eric arrived," he mentioned. "You mind telling me why?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," Manny sustained.

Unsatisfied with how Manny wasn't forthcoming with him, Brady didn't like being in the dark about anything. Trying to get Manny to open up, he approached him in a different way. "I'm just curious if you were actually on the phone with Sonny. He hasn't been the same, and I'm honestly worried about him."

Manny felt uncomfortable giving Brady any answers. He reflected on the dinner with Arianna and Dario the night before and wondered if he should talk to Brady about what happened. "I was on the phone with my sister, Ari. We were talking about Sonny because Dario is keeping his distance from us. We believe Sonny is a big part of that."

Brady uncrossed his arms and placed his hands on his hips. He was more concerned now and questioned, "Are you thinking about quitting?"

Immediately, Manny shook his head as he denied Brady's assumption. "No, I am not quitting the job. I need to do this for my family, so if you don't mind I will head back to work."

Brady nodded his head to Manny, so he could return to security. After Manny walked away, Brady thought about how different Sonny was now and had figured out a while ago it was all connected to Dario. He still didn't understand why things crashed and burned between them.

* * *

At Salem University Hospital, Nathan finished giving instructions to one of the nurses concerning a patient, when Cameron walked up with a question of his own. "Have you seen Dr. Carver? I was walking down the hall after checking in with a patient when another patient told me she has been waiting for our chief-of-staff to show up for her appointment."

Nathan hit his head softly as he realized what he forgot to do. "I'm sorry. That's my fault because I'm covering for Lexie since she took the day off."

Frustration showed on Cameron's face as Joselyn approached the two doctors to ask them a question. It was the same as Cameron's. "Have you two seen Lexie? I've been waiting for her to send some papers back to me."

Giving Nathan an annoyed look, Cameron complained, "The chief-of-staff has taken the day off unannounced once again."

Nathan didn't appreciate how Cameron talked about Lexie with a great lack of concern. Pulling rank on him, he warned, "Dr. Davis, just cool it. Don't make this into something."

Cameron had no intention on standing down on what he believed was wrong. "Dr. Carver's behavior is highly unethical. Anyone else would be fired if they showed the same carelessness in a hospital."

Maddalena and Azzura arrived for Maddalena's appointment in time to overhear what Cameron had to say about Lexie. Unamused, Maddalena stepped in and gave Cameron a look of caution. "You need to show more care in the words you use to describe my niece. Your words only show you as a shrewd doctor – one with no heart!"

Cameron stepped back confused by Maddalena's accusations towards him. "What are you talking about, mam?"

A deep sadness filled Maddalena as she informed the young doctor, "Today is the first anniversary of her husband's death." Trying to escape her own grief, she returned to putting Cameron in his place. "If you are so ethical, I suggest you focus on your patients and nothing else."

Having watched the whole exchange, Joselyn eyed Maddalena realizing she was a Dimera. Fighting her interest in finally introducing herself to the woman, she placed her hand on Cameron's back to escort him away. "Dr. Davis, we should go back to work. Dr. Carver did tell me yesterday that she was taking the day off, so it's my fault I forgot. It's going to be a long day for all of us."

Azzura eyed Cameron as he walked away. Even if he upset her signora, she couldn't help but recognize what great eye candy he was. Turning back to Maddalena, she asked, "Signora, where do you want me during your appointment?"

"You may wait for me in the car," Maddalena instructed Azzura. "I will call you once I have finished here." After Azzura left, Maddalena turned to Nathan to discuss her appointment. "Dr. Horton, are you in charge of my appointment due to Alexandra's absence?"

Nathan nodded his head reminding himself of the patient Cameron told him about before. "Yes. I'll get a nurse to check you in. There's a patient who has been waiting."

The patient could wait a little longer as far as Maddalena was concerned. "Before you do that, I would like to talk about the situation with my niece and the hospital. Is it as bad as it seems?"

It was bad. Nevertheless, Nathan knew he could not communicate the fact to Maddalena. Instead, he ensured, "Everything will be fine, Mrs. Dimera."

Maddalena wasn't convinced though and needed a solution to help her niece. Abe's death and everything that happened after that concerning Lexie was not part of the plan. Something needed to change. "I know Lexie has cut herself off to focus solely on work."

In a moment of honesty, Nathan admitted, "She's starting to cut herself from work now. She's hiding more in her office, and I don't know what will happen if something doesn't change soon."

The truth haunted Maddalena and while she appreciated Nathan for giving it to her, she needed to bring on the change that Nathan claimed they needed. "Should the hospital step in as they did before? Should a temporary chief-of-staff be hired so Lexie can take more time off?"

Nathan's thoughts returned to Daniel. "It worked last time with Dr. Jonas, but he's not here. We need his help because we're still short staffed for a couple of weeks."

Maddalena didn't want to focus on Daniel because he wouldn't be around to help. "Is there anyone besides Dr. Jonas, who is qualified for the job?"

Nathan decided to look for the file he needed while he talked to Maddalena about Lexie. "Lexie wants to continue working, so that may be a problem. If she agrees, I don't know anyone who wants the job."

Maddalena knew she was keeping Nathan from his work, but she was persistent in finding someone. "What about you? If anything, you could be responsible when Lexie is not present. I will talk to Sami and have her talk to the board about it at their next meeting."

Nathan finally found the file he needed and returned his focus to Maddalena. "I'll think about it, but for now, I should get you in a room with a nurse while I see this patient who is waiting for me."

Maddalena nodded her head hoping Nathan would agree to help Lexie. "Okay, Dr. Horton."

Nathan led Maddalena to a room as he contemplated her suggestion. As much as he was already helping Lexie, he questioned if he could handle the stress of making it official. It was already weighing him down.

* * *

Excitedly, Sami took her seat behind her desk at Dimera Enterprises and looked across to Dario and Ignazio. After making a few calls, she called them in to discuss how they should move forward on putting an official proposal together. She took pride in her wedding designs idea, and the fact that EJ seemed to approve of it made it all the better. Sami believed she had finally found her wheelhouse. "Talk to me about what you two have come up with to get the ball rolling on this project. I talked to Azzura last night and she's in!"

Pressure fell onto Ignazio as he adjusted in his chair. He turned to Dario and noted that while his brother was there physically, he was not present mentally. They had arrived to the office separately not too long ago, and Sami expected them to have put something together for her. Covering for his brother's lack of any form of response, Ignazio admitted, "Dario and I have not had the opportunity to discuss this proposal. EJ has us working on other projects as well."

"Right," Sami replied as she looked down to what she had put together so far. Tossing her hair to the side, she tilted her head to move on but her curiosity got the best of her. Raising her gaze from her desk, she asked, "What other projects? Anything good?"

After receiving a nudge from Ignazio, Dario pulled his attention from his phone and had to mentally catch up on the conversation. Once he realized what Sami asked, he nodded his head with hesitant excitement. "There are a few..." He knew there was one she wouldn't want to hear about.

"Maybe we should focus on this one," Ignazio cut off his brother purposely. "We can discuss Chad's proposal later."

Chad's proposal? Sami had to do a double take to make sure she heard correctly. Watching Ignazio carefully, she asked for confirmation. "Did you just say you're working on a proposal from Chad?"

Ignazio nodded his head but moved on. He had Sami right where he wanted her. "I think we should first consider the positions needed to pull off this proposal and then those who are capable of filling those roles."

Chad's proposal. It remained on Sami's mind no matter how hard Ignazio tried to move forward. How could EJ never mention it to her? She needed to talk to EJ about this, but she couldn't get up and leave when she just sat down with Ignazio and Dario. Clearing her mind the best she could, she stated, "I don't think it will take us long to figure out what we need and who we want to bring on."

Dario glanced over his phone to see if he had any new messages or missed phone calls. He had managed to track with Sami and Ignazio while they talked and decided to share his thoughts. "Well, we want people who have experience in designing clothes for formal events and weddings. Is there anyone you believe we could contact in that area? Have you talked to Azzura already?"

Sami gave Dario a confused look because she clearly stated earlier that she talked to Azzura. Trying her hardest to continue her focus on her proposal, she replied, "I can make some calls. I talked to Azzura last night and she seemed interested. I'm sure Kate could help with some contacts, but I'd rather keep her out of this for now. We also need people who have experience in designing the other areas in a wedding."

Dario scratched his head because he wasn't feeling work at the moment. He wasn't one to put off his responsibilities though, so he knew he needed to make more of a conscious effort. First, he put his phone away, so he could get his head in the game. Then he attempted to show he was part of the meeting by asking for clarification, "Do you mean flowers... maybe other decorations... venues?"

Sami nodded her head in a daze. "You two seem to have a good grasp on what needs to be done at this point," she declared. She couldn't take it anymore and needed to find EJ. She hated to do it, but she figured this was Dario and Ignazio's job. "I need to check on something, so how about you two make a list of the different areas in a wedding. If you get stuck before I get back, google it."

Ignazio and Dario turned to each other after Sami rushed out of her office. Even though he wanted Sami to confront EJ about Chad's proposal, he pretended to be clueless about Sami's sudden exit. "I wonder what she needs to do," he stated looking his brother over. Something was off, and he needed to take advantage of this alone time with his brother. "What are you doing after we finish here?"

Dario raised himself slightly off the chair to see if Sami had anything useful on her desk. He grabbed a tablet to start on what she instructed them to do and didn't give much thought in his answer to Ignazio. "I'm going to the gym," he shared as he sat down completely fingering the tablet.

Ignazio took pause to study his brother's demeanor further. Dario's answer confused him and he decided to question him on it. "Bro," he started attempting the English slang his brother used. "I thought you went to the gym before we met here to talk to Sami. Isn't that what you told me earlier when I caught you staring at your cellular in the guesthouse this morning?"

Keeping his focus on the tablet, Dario pretended to be distracted with it to come up with a reasonable excuse. "Oh... ummm. I had plans to go this morning, but then I got caught up with something else."

Ignazio couldn't help but notice how aloof his brother was acting. He had noted it before when Dario talked about the gym but had never approached his brother about it. "You seem to go to the gym at the most random times. The key is to find consistency in what you do."

Dario didn't give Ignazio's comment an answer because he didn't want to talk about it. "We are wasting time here, Ignazio. We should get this list done, so we can get out of here faster. I have a feeling Sami will make it a short day again if we get enough done."

Ignazio took the tablet from his brother to get a real response from him. "There is something you are avoiding at this moment. I am not certain if it concerns me, but I want to know what you're hiding," he pushed.

Unfortunately for him, Dario remained silent and did not say anything.

Shaking his head, Ignazio pondered what could be on Dario's mind and remembered something. "Your dinner last night. How did everything go with Manuel and Arianna?"

Thoughts of the night before replayed in Dario's mind as he closed his eyes. Reflecting on the guilt he felt for the current state of his family, he tried his best not to bring himself down. "Maybe that's what I need," he claimed to his brother while opening his eyes. Ignazio was lost until Dario continued, "Dinner was tense last night because my brother and sister want me to move in with them. They asked me last night."

Everything now made sense. Arianna didn't want Ignazio at the dinner because she wanted to convince Dario to move in with them without anyone there to keep him from doing so. Ignazio couldn't let this happen and had to restrain his fear. "What was your answer?"

Dario eyed the tablet in Ignazio's hands. He was tempted to take it back, so he could focus on their job. Turning his eyes to his brother, he sighed, "I said no. I told them I'm happy at the guesthouse with you. Can we work now?"

Ignazio nodded his head and handed the tablet to Dario. Grabbing a piece of paper to make their list, he gave his brother one last serious look as he shared, "I'm happy with you as well, fratello."

Sami finally caught up with EJ, who was heading towards one of the conference rooms. "What's going on?" she called out to him.

Thinking his wife was only asking him where he was headed, EJ stopped in his tracks, walked closer to his wife, and replied with a warm smile, "I have a meeting with some of the investors. I believe our new ideas will give them an extra incentive to stay on board. I'll check in with you after."

While EJ gave Sami a kiss on the forehead, Sami didn't respond physically as she stated, "I know about Chad's proposal."

EJ stepped back and attempted to gaze deeply into Sami's eyes, but she seemed set on keeping some distance emotionally. "Samantha... I apologize I did not inform you of Chad's project."

"So it's a go?" Sami questioned. She did not understand how Chad had merely been back for a couple of days and already had something official at Dimera Enterprises. "Why am I only finding out about this?"

Calm. EJ needed to smooth things over with his wife and hoped to ease her frustration by offering, "I'll bring the proposal home tonight if you want some late-night reading before bed."

"I do," Sami answered without hesitation. She wondered if it was any good.

EJ gave Sami a nod to assure her she would have it in her hands later that night. Looking at his watch, he saw he had a few minutes to spare. "Speaking of 'I do', how are things going with your proposal?"

Sami turned her head in the direction of her office as she shared, "Dario and Ignazio are in there now making a list for me. I had to come see you to talk about Chad." Her thoughts went to the night before when Chad walked into the Brady Pub.

Trying to assure his wife again, EJ began, "Well, I..."

"Will?" Sami interrupted EJ with a look of shock. She spotted her son walking towards them and had to blink a few times to make sure he was really there. "Why are you in Salem?"

Just as he expected, Sami and EJ had surprised looks on their faces. Will tried to hide his shame in what happened by looking right past them. "I was let go early because a complication came up Monday night," he started.

"Complication?" Sami questioned rather impatiently.

Nodding his head, Will chose not to share all the details as he hurriedly explained, "Chad showed up at the studio and burst through the doors while one of the biggest stars to ever come to that studio was recording. Everyone was upset with me after I got rid of Chad. Taylor West wanted me fired, so I was." Will shamefully placed his hands in his pockets as he cautiously focused his eyes to see how his mom and EJ would respond.

The looks on Sami's and EJ's faces changed from shock to horror. Sami shook her head and closed her eyes in disappointment, while EJ gave Will a dumbfounded look realizing he allowed his brother to ruin Will's internship. "I am so sorry, William."

"It's okay," Will replied trying to hide any form of affect. "Not your fault."

As soon as Will deflected EJ's apology, Sami's eyes turned to EJ because she believed her husband was at fault for helping Chad get to Chicago. She kept her disappointment to herself though because she wanted to be there for her son. "Don't you have a meeting to get to?"

Rubbing the top of his forehead, EJ turned in the direction of the conference room and apologized again. "I need to head in there, but if you need anything do not hesitate to ask me, okay?" After Will nodded his head, EJ walked into the conference room trying to recompose himself.

Now that she was alone with her son, Sami pulled Will into a hug trying to get past her anger, so she could best benefit him. "I'm so sorry that Chad ruined everything for you. If I knew he was back in town earlier, I would have made sure he stayed away from you. I tried to call you to warn you when I found out. I guess I know why you never called me back."

As he held onto his mother, Will's eyes tried to escape the embarrassment he felt over the entire situation. He studied his surroundings when a memory came to him.

* * *

_Monday, July 4th, 2011_

* * *

Will walked down one of the halls of Dimera Enterprises for his mother's office. It was the first day of his internship there, and he hoped he could prove he had what it took to work for Stefano. Focused, Will almost missed the fact that Chad was walking straight towards him.

"Hey man! How's your first day going?" Chad called out with a smile.

Will's heart began to pace a little faster because Chad had surprised him. "I guess it's okay. So far my tasks have included: delivery boy, delivery boy, and oh… delivery boy." As soon as Chad began to laugh, he joined in. "I also found out that I am sort of working for my mom. Her first assignment for me was to find a place for us to have lunch later. I swear I think the only reason she took this job was so that she could keep an eye on me."

"Don't sweat it. She's just worried about you. Just do your job, and you'll enjoy the experience," Chad said as he grabbed Will's arm to pull him towards the wall.

Watching Chad's hand leave his arm, Will felt an emptiness and wished Chad had let his hand remain there. He turned his face towards his friend's and noted Chad seemed really excited to talk to him. What did all of this touching and excitement mean?

""So anything else new in your life?"

Will swallowed hard before sharing, "Well, last night I broke up with Gabi. It was crazy, but I know it was the right thing to do." Will noticed that Chad's face lit up even more from his news and questioned if Chad's excitement meant that Chad, too, had a secret crush on him.

"You're not going to believe this!" Chad started. "Abigail and I got into a fight last night, and we're on a break… I guess it's sort of the same. It really sucks man, but I guess it's Independence Day!"

Will's hope that Chad had a crush on him diminished.

Chad continued, "Sometimes I wonder if she even really likes me. I think if she could find another guy's brain and put it in my body, she would be happy."

Will eyed Chad trying not to look like a fool. There was a lot about Chad that Will admired. If it was his decision, he wouldn't change anything.

"So why did you and Gabi break up?"

Oh no. Will wasn't ready to answer this question, so he began to cough to buy himself some time to come up with an excuse. It didn't help when Chad placed his hand onto Will's shoulder to make sure he was okay. Will stopped coughing and answered, "I think Gabi and I are better off just being friends. There was just too much pressure I guess." Thee it was. Will managed to give a vague answer while being honest at the same time.

Chad bought it, too. "That makes sense," he said when his face suddenly lit up again. "Dude, I have the perfect idea for us to get over our girl troubles. We should have a guys-only camping trip or something."

Will's face lit up and smiled infectiously because he thought it was a great idea. Before he could respond verbally, Chad asked, "So you think it's a good idea?"

"Yeah. It sounds great. When would we go?" Will hoped Chad would say tomorrow, but he knew that they had work to do.

"We could leave Friday and come back Sunday afternoon. We could invite a few more guys, so that we won't get bored – not that you and I would get bored alone of course – but you know…"

Will remained excited but didn't know what Chad meant by his comment about them not getting bored alone. His excitement diminished when he believed it was possible Chad didn't want to be alone with him for that long. "Yeah… I guess," he released.

* * *

_Wednesday, August 21st 2013_

* * *

Will separated from his mother knowing he couldn't stand in Dimera Enterprises any longer. "Mom, I don't really want to talk about Chad. I want to move forward and move past this."

Sami placed her hands on Will's arms and looked him over. "Will you be okay?"

"I will be," Will promised before claiming, "I'm a survivor. I wanted you to know I'm back – that's all."

Sami knew her son needed all the love in the world, even if he claimed he would be okay. Giving him a loving smile, she encouraged, "I'm glad you came to see me. If you need to talk or just hang out, I'm here."

"I know, mom," Will stated. He really needed to get out of there before more memories plagued his mind. "I'll catch up with you more later. I have a few things I still need to take care of."

Sami nodded her head and gave Will one last hug before he left. After he was gone, she remembered the warning she gave Chad at the Brady Pub the night before. The anger and frustration returned and filled her body as she whispered to herself, "I will get back at Chad for what he did to my son!"

* * *

With a smile on his face, JJ rushed down the stairs of the Horton house hoping to find his mother and sister. He found them in the living room standing near the fireplace. With a hop in his step, he made his way over and asked, "When is dad getting here?"

Jen stepped back to look her son over because of the warmth he was releasing. It was so contagious. Caressing his shoulder, she replied, "He will be here soon."

Even though she and her father had made progress, Abigail wasn't as warm as JJ. "I wonder why he called the family meeting. I hope it doesn't take too long because I have dinner plans tonight."

Jennifer was curious about Jack's reasons to call a family meeting as well – especially on the night of his big story on Lexie.

JJ moved away from Jen, so he could be closer to Abigail. Leaning in on her, he gave her a wink. "Having dinner with Ezra?"

Abigail pushed her brother away clearly annoyed. "No," she denied it.

The doorbell rang breaking the sudden tension between Abigail and JJ. Everyone looked in the direction of the front door. Believing it was Jack on the other side, Jennifer headed towards the door and announced, "Well, let's see what your dad has to say."

But it wasn't Jack. Bo and Hope stood on the other side of the door surprising Jen. Catching on that Jen was caught off guard, Bo gave Jen a small smile as he requested, "May we come in."

"Of course," Jen immediately nodded escaping her surprise. Moving out of the way, so Bo and Hope could enter, she asked, "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

Hope turned to Jen and gave her an assuring hug. "Sorry to come over unannounced, but we need to talk to you about Jack."

Abigail and JJ walked into the foyer wondering if their father was in trouble. "Why do you want to talk to dad?"

Hope gave Bo a look of discomfort because she hoped Abigail and JJ wouldn't be there. Turning to her cousin, she explained, "We have been trying to contact Jack, but he's dodging our calls. We thought maybe you could help us out with that."

Concern filled Jennifer as she questioned the possibility of Jack being in trouble. She knew she needed to get Abigail and JJ out of the vicinity just in case. "Abigail, will you please take your brother to the kitchen. I promise I will come in there to talk to you after."

Abigail eyed her brother to see if he would put up a fight. Fortunately, he didn't. "We'll be in the kitchen then."

With her children out of the room, Jennifer grabbed her elbow and gave Bo and Hope a serious look. "Is everything okay?"

As Hope promised Jen that everything was okay, Bo stepped in to explain why they needed to talk to Jack. "We need to talk to him about Colin."

Even with the knowledge that Jack wasn't in trouble, Jen was glad she asked the kids to leave because she didn't want them to hear about Colin. They still felt the after effects of Colin's revealing DVD from the year before. "Jack actually should be here soon, so if you want to wait a moment..." The doorbell cut Jen off. Raising her finger, she stated, "That must be him!"

Jack entered the house in haste after Jen opened the door but slowed his pace when he spotted Bo and Hope. Scratching his head, he gave Jen a confused look and claimed, "When I said family meeting, I meant you, me, and the kids. Not Bo and Hope."

Bo didn't waste any time as he approached Jack. "We're not here for the family meeting. Hope and I have been trying to contact you about Colin. We need you to come down to the station because there's a chance Colin could be released. He claims he is actually innocent and took the fall only to frame Stefano for Abe's attack."

Hearing Colin's name alone was enough to set Jack off. The idea of Colin getting free and claiming innocence only made things worse. Jack put his hand out in front of Bo's face to make him stop talking. "No. No... No no!" he let out as he stepped over to the foot of the stairs. As Bo, Hope, and Jen stepped back, Jack leaned on the rail and began to count slowly to calm himself down. When he pulled himself together, he turned to the others and said, "I can't let Colin get out. I'll come to the station tomorrow since I have my big story tonight." He hoped he could hold himself together for the story.

"I'll go with you," Jen volunteered. Witnessing Jack's vulnerable moment strongly affected her, and she wanted to do whatever she could to help him. She remembered how Jack skipped his therapy session on Monday and wondered if he shouldn't have done so.

Hope's body shifted. She asked, "When is a good time for you two to come by tomorrow?"

"I get off work at 5pm," Jennifer shared.

"I'm the same," Jack answered.

Jack looked so lost, and Bo wasn't exactly keen on sticking around much longer. If he had his way, they would have headed to the station right at this moment. "Peachy. We'll count on the both of you to show up sometime after five. Hope your family meeting goes well."

Jennifer watched Jack for a moment before leading Bo and Hope to her door. "Thanks for stopping by," she said out of habit.

Before leaving completely, Hope made sure to give her cousin a hug. "Call me if you need anything."

With a nod, Bo and Hope were gone. Jen turned back to Jack wondering if he was still okay. "Is there anything you need?"

Jack broke out of his trance and looked to his ex-wife. "Where are the kids? I need to talk to them."

Luckily, JJ and Abigail peered through the door that led to the kitchen to see if they could come out again. Noting that his aunt and uncle were gone, JJ rushed to his father with concern and asked, "Dad, is everything okay? I heard you scream."

Jack nodded his head and managed to forget everything that happened with Bo and Hope. Seeing the look of love in his son's face was very healing. "Yeah, I'm fine, but there's something important I need to ask all of you."

Abigail stepped forward with a curious look. "What is it? Does it have something to do with why Bo and Hope were looking for you?"

"No," Jack immediately responded but backpedaled. "Well, kind of. You are all aware of the fact that I am going through therapy. It's been more than a year since I started, and I am wondering if everyone is willing to participate in family therapy with me now."

Jen could tell how hard this was for Jack and was proud of him in this moment. He had done a lot to impress her tonight. "I can't speak for our kids, but I am willing to be a part of it," she declared.

JJ and Abigail agreed as well. Jack gave his family a look of appreciation and felt good about things. He told himself that everything would work out for them.

* * *

Returning from the Cheatin' Heart, Sonny fell onto the couch of his apartment realizing that he wasted his day away helping his mom out with her deliveries. He really couldn't complain though because he wasn't alone the whole day, but now he had an itch for something different. It wasn't even half a minute later that Sonny had his lover on the phone. "Yeah, I'm guessing Chad was over looking for something this morning before I arrived. I'll have to change the locks, but I should check in with Will about that first since he's in Chicago."

"Well, you should do what you have to," the voice said on the line. "If you need anything, you know I'm close by."

With the perfect segue, Sonny didn't skip a beat as he questioned, "Close by? Are you close now? I'm alone at my apartment, but if you come over I won't be anymore. We could have some fun tonight."

"I could be there in a few minutes – maybe seconds."

Sonny bit his lip as he thought about what he wanted to do tonight, but the door suddenly opening caused him to jump off the couch and drop his phone on the floor. With all the shock in the world, he could not believe who just barged into the apartment. "Will?"

The look on his friend's face was priceless. Will couldn't help but smile – something he desperately needed – as he checked in with Sonny. "You okay?"

There wasn't time for Sonny to answer Will's question because he instantly dropped to the floor to grab his phone from under the couch. Putting his cell to his ear, he quickly told the guy on the phone, "Hey. Sorry to do this again, but don't come over. Turns out I won't be alone tonight." He hoped his lover got the message in time.

Will watched as Sonny quickly hung up his phone. After Sonny turned around to face him, he grabbed the back of his neck. With a sense of confusion and sincerity, he offered an apology. "I'm sorry if I startled you. Who were you on the phone with?"

Sonny placed his hands on his hips wanting to avoid Will's question. "What's going on with you? What are you doing here?"

Before Will could answer, Ezra entered the apartment and was just as shocked to see Will standing there. Stumbling over his words, he let out, "I… I thought that was you in the hall when I got here."

Sonny gave Ezra a look because of how he barged in without knocking first, but he quickly got over that because Will was standing in their apartment. "Will, did something happen in Chicago with Taylor West?"

With how many times he had to explain this today, Will sort of wished he had a party and invited everyone. "To keep it simple, I was let go because Chad showed up and made a scene."

"Chad?" Ezra let out as he moved closer to Will.

Sonny remained still as he informed Ezra, "Chad's back in Salem. I knew he would mess things up."

Placing his hand on Will's shoulder, Ezra squeezed Will and pulled him closer. "That sucks, Horton. I'm sorry that Chad did that to you. I can't believe the guy is back in town. This can't be good."

"Understatement of the century," Sonny said under his breath but loud enough so the other guys could hear.

Will grew frustrated. Shaking his head, he removed himself from Ezra and took a seat on the couch. Resting his face on his hands, he stated, "I don't want Chad to have any power over me, so please just drop it."

Sonny joined Will on the couch and argued, "You can't just ignore Chad. He's actually in Salem now!"

Ezra slowly made his way over to the couch and sided with Will. "I think we should do whatever Horton wants," he said while taking a seat next to Will on the other side. "I believe you can get through this, Horton."

Will patted Ezra on the leg and offered a smile. "Thanks, Ezra."

Seeing Will's appreciation for Ezra caused Sonny to back off. He was still upset about what Chad did, but he knew he needed to respect Will's wishes. He figured he could protect Will from Chad without Will knowing.

* * *

Lexie sat on the couch of her living room. It had been a long day and a part of her wished she hadn't taken the day off because everything hurt. She lacked the patience in dealing with a quiet day to herself to reflect on what happened a year ago, but at the same time she craved it because she wanted to get away and hide.

There was a pull. Lexie felt a pull and it only got stronger. Opening her eyes, she allowed them to wander to that pull. It was Theo. More precisely, it was his voice. His attempts to communicate with his mother could no longer go unnoticed, but that did not stop Lexie from trying to shut out everything around her. She reflected on how she had started to break visibly again. People knew there was something wrong, and that she didn't have it together. She couldn't allow that. She craved the ability to harden her heart, but with that pull, she knew it was impossible.

With great desperation, Lexie finally turned to her son as his voice only became louder and lovingly harsher. "Mom. Let me show you something. He's coming. He's here," he stated causing Lexie's heart to melt.

This was not what Lexie wanted, and she began to cry. She cried because a hauntingly terrible thought had entered her mind. How could it just appear like that? She loved her son, so it couldn't be true. It had to be a false feeling. There's no way she could wish for her son to be out of the picture – just gone – not here. But she did.

Celeste entered from the kitchen. She felt something draw her into the room with her daughter and grandson. The tears on Lexie's face told her what she needed to know. Rushing over, she stood in front of her daughter as she took Theo's hand to calm him down. Something happened though when she touched him. A spark. It was familiar but foreign at the same time.

"Mom," Lexie released breaking Celeste out of her trance. "Can you please take Theo upstairs because I am not in my right mind today?"

The cracks in Lexie's tone did not hide the strength it took for Lexie to admit she wasn't well. Celeste nodded her head and led Theo away from his mother. She noted Theo's demeanor change and reflected on Theo's behavior since her return to Salem. It was odd and very peculiar. Something was different about her grandson, and she wondered if it was related to the anniversary of Abe's death.

At the foot of the stairs, Celeste turned to her daughter and said, "I will watch Theo, but please call out to me if you need anything. I'm worried about you, Alexandra."

"It's too late to start, mom," Lexie said wiping her face. "Just take him away please."

Theo fought going up the stairs at first, but Celeste kneeled to his level and looked into his eyes to let him know everything would be okay. He stopped fighting and voluntarily walked up the stairs with his grandmother.

Outside, Chad stepped on the porch of the Carver house. He decided to give his sister another try and figured it was late enough that she could be home from work. Rubbing his hands together, he knocked on the door thinking about how much he missed Lexie. He knew if anyone could help him process through his plans for Will, she was the one to do it. He was completely clueless.

Inside, Lexie had returned to her thoughts and ignored the knock on the door. She eyed the TV and wondered if she should watch the story Jack and Nicole did on her. How ridiculous. She couldn't believe they wanted to do a story on her. She didn't feel strong. She didn't feel good. There was nothing right about what she said in her interview – it was all a mask.

_Knock_. A fleeting thought of who could be at the door ran through Lexie's mind, but she paid more attention to what she was going to do now to escape her pain. She was alone. Theo wasn't there. Jen had asked her what she would do if Theo wasn't around, and her mind began to unravel a few ideas of what she could do now.

_Knock_. _Knock_. _Knock_. The sound wouldn't go away. Lexie pulled herself off the couch reluctantly and made her way to the door. She had plans to get rid of whoever was on the other side of the door as soon as possible. Then she could return to her deep dark thoughts.

Fate had different plans for Lexie and Chad though. Lexie gasped when she saw her youngest brother standing on her porch outside. It was like she had seen a ghost, but the shock quickly wore off when she realized how horrible she must look. Wiping her face, an image she hadn't seen in some time returned. Lexie, the loving and wise older sister of Chad, decided to make an appearance. She had to put up the façade. She needed it but told herself Chad was the one in need of it. "Chad, you're home!" she exclaimed while grabbing his hand to drag him inside.

Chad noted something was off about his sister because she seemed all over the place. He followed her lead and took a seat on the couch. Even with the weirdness, Chad felt a warmth being in Lexie's presence again and didn't dwell on her jumpy behavior. "Yeah, I'm home," he echoed.

Lexie knew she needed to avoid everything dark and heavy to be able to keep her façade. It was a lot of work though. Putting on her best smile, she asked, "When did you get back?"

Chad studied his sister and couldn't ignore what was right in front of him anymore. Something was missing. The tone of her voice was off and sounded monotone. It lacked emotion. She lacked emotion because she didn't even bother giving him a hug when she saw him. She was holding back. Approaching her cautiously, he answered her question, "I got back Monday, but I went to Chicago to talk to Will."

Lexie moved onward trying to keep herself together. While attempting to be present with her baby brother, she internally watched herself pick up the pieces of the wall she desperately needed to rebuild. "You saw Will? Was he warm towards you?"

Chad flashed to the moment when Will pushed him to the ground in Chicago. Shaking his head, he answered, "No."

A sudden scream from upstairs caused Chad to jump. Chad grabbed Lexie's hand to let her know she was safe, but he then noted she was unresponsive to the loud noise. "What was that?"

"Theo," Lexie answered with no emotion. She was in a trance again.

Chad continued to hold his sister's hand. "Lexie, is anyone upstairs with Theo? Is everything okay?"

Lexie could feel pieces of the wall she had rebuilt falling, but she tried her hardest to stop them. "My mother. She's up there with him." This wasn't working. Feeling out of control, Lexie suddenly stood up after letting go of Chad's hand. She walked over to the foot of the stairs as she shared, "Theo has gotten better with his screaming. His screams at night have decreased."

Chad had to look away from his sister for a moment because he noticed she tried to put on a smile after she talked about Theo's screams. It was very discomforting. Unable to avoid the bizarre feeling any longer, he stood up and headed for his sister. Looking around the room, he asked, "What about Abe? Where's Abe? He's got to be out of the hospital by now, right?"

Chad's questions hit what was left of Lexie's walls and shattered them all to tiny pieces. It was an explosion, and there was nothing she could do at this point to hold any part of her together. There was carnage everywhere, and all Lexie could do at first was give her brother a mortified look. How could he ask those questions?

Lexie did not want to give him the answers because she didn't want to hear the answers herself. "Why?!" she raised her voice. "Why did you come back to Salem, Chad? You left us. You walked away, and you didn't come back! Where were you? I needed you here... I needed... I..."

Lexie's legs dropped from under her, but Chad was there to catch her. Holding his broken sister, Chad felt a rush of dark uncertainty come over him. "Lex, what happened? What did I say? Why did you need me?"

Lexie melted in Chad's arms unable to fight anymore. Tears fell down her face as she painfully revealed, "Abe is dead... Abe died a year ago today."

Silence. Horrifying silence followed Lexie's revelation. Chad couldn't believe the news and after the horror of it all began to subside, guilt took over. With the deepest sincerity, he held on to his sister and tried to apologize. "Oh, Lexie. I am so sorry..."

Lexie couldn't hear Chad's apology because she was overcome with grief. Everything she had held onto had found a way to come out and all she felt at this point was loss. Great loss. Looking into her brother's eyes, she lamented, "I don't want to be alone, but I don't know any other way."

Chad pulled Lexie close to him trying desperately to make up for the time he was gone. Knowing there was no way he could excuse his long absence, he focused on what he could do at this exact moment. "I'm here now, sis. I'm not leaving your side."


	8. Chapter 8 Gravity

**Chapter 8: Gravity – Thursday, August 22nd, 2013**

After a long night, the Carver house was quieter and calmer the next day. Beams from the sun shined through the windows in the living room and fell on the floor. Lexie slowly made her way into the room from the kitchen. She had just said her goodbyes to Celeste and Theo, who left through the back since Chad was asleep on the couch. Watching her baby brother closely, she took a moment before deciding to wake him.

Lexie allowed Chad to sleep in because of what happened the night before. She truly lost herself and felt guilty for putting it all on him. If she had been able to keep herself together, she could have told Chad about Abe's death in a different way. As strange as it sounded, it also bothered her that she could breathe easier. She feared it.

Making her way to the sofa, Lexie took a seat on the edge next to Chad. After waking up in Chad's arms sometime after midnight, she tried to convince her brother to take the bed in the second guestroom, but he insisted on sleeping on the couch. She began to gently shake him while calling tenderly out to him, "Chad. Wake up. It's about 12:30."

Chad stirred and began to rub his eyes. When he opened them and noticed the amount of brightness in the room, he jolted up. "What time is it?"

Lexie looked to the clock across the room to give Chad an official time. "It's 12:22 in the afternoon," she informed him. "Thanks for staying the night."

Chad gave his sister a smile even though he slept later than he wanted. Maybe he needed the sleep because he slept hard. "It's no problem. How are you feeling?"

Lexie rubbed her head. "I have a slight headache from all the crying I did last night, but I feel like I've let some of the built-up pain go thanks to you. I'll be okay now."

Chad gave Lexie a sad look wondering if she really believed she would be okay. The guilt of not being with her over the last year continued to haunt him. "I hope so. I still feel like a crappy brother though. I'm so sorry."

Lexie looked down because she didn't want Chad to feel bad. "You have no reason to be sorry now. You're home again," she maintained. Even if she feared it, she appreciated how she could pull herself together with more ease – especially for Chad.

Shaking his head, Chad would not let himself get off so easily. "No, I have a lot of reasons to be sorry," he countered before admitting, "I didn't think about everyone else when I left. The truth is I am rather selfish because I came to visit you last night to talk about Will and my issues. Not once did I think you could be anything else but okay. I didn't even think about catching up with you when I got back. You deserve better, and I want to make it all up to you. I want to help you talk about Abe and what happened."

Lexie couldn't have that. Exhaustion hit her when she heard her dead husband's name. Maybe this wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. Putting her hand up, she claimed, "I've cried enough over Abe for now. We don't have to talk about Abe because it's better if I don't always focus on him." She hoped Chad would agree to drop the topic.

Even with Lexie's attempts to assure him, Chad still felt guilt-ridden and uncertain he had done enough to help her. He felt he had so much to say to his sister but didn't have enough words to say it all. "I'm sorry for not being there for you a year ago when everything happened."

Lexie nodded her head as she remembered what life was like a year ago. The pain inside seem to come out of hiding as she unconsciously shared, "The funeral was a great celebration of Abe, but it was definitely hard. I tried to be strong, so I could prove to everyone I could do it – I can move forward."

Taking his sister's hand, Chad looked deep into Lexie's eyes and said, "You don't have to prove anything." As Lexie looked away, a realization came over Chad. Yesterday was the 21st of August and the year before was when he received the short voicemail from EJ containing Will's voice. It now made sense why Will sounded so sad. Abe must have died when EJ called. "I'm sure it was hard on a lot of people losing Abe like that. He was a good man. I'm sorry I never got to say goodbye to him," he said with great remorse.

Lexie only nodded her head for a moment and remained silent. She reflected on Abe's death and how she allowed herself to believe the world was safe again. How could she be so stupid? Stopping herself from bringing herself down any further, Lexie pulled herself together and changed the subject. She needed to. "Where have you been this whole time? I need to know about you because there was at one point I considered the possibility that you could be dead."

The thought that his sister questioned if he was dead laid heavily on Chad's heart – almost to the point where it began to break again. "Lexie, I'm okay," he assured her. "I was in Texas and finished school there, but now I'm back."

Lexie remembered how EJ informed her of Chad's whereabouts a while back. With Chad's simplistic response, she wondered what he wasn't telling her. "You were gone for almost nineteen months. Is that all you're going to say?"

Chad looked down as he reflected on those months in Texas. A lot happened and he believed he was a better person for everything he went through, but at this moment, it didn't seem to matter because he had neglected his sister in the worse way possible. "Maybe I'll tell you about my adventures – not really adventures – another time. All that matters is that I'm back in Salem, and I have no thoughts or plans to leave ever again."

Lexie felt a warmth embrace her in hearing those words. She loved her family and appreciated how they looked after her, but for some reason, it was easier with Chad. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he wasn't there when it all happened. Maybe she felt a connection to her little brother because she thought she would never see him again. Chad gave her hope.

The warm feeling of hope suddenly turned into something else though. Lexie feared it greatly and pushed it away to keep herself where she wanted. She couldn't allow Chad to continue to produce that warmth, so she continued to focus on his problems. "So does that mean you're trying to win Will over again?"

"That's the plan," Chad admitted scratching the back of his head with his free hand.

Lexie gave her brother a confused look. She had an idea. "Then why are you here with me? You should be trying to win him back now!"

"Don't say that, Lex," Chad shook his head. "I need to be here with you. We should go to the cemetery since you didn't go yesterday. I'll take you to visit Abe."

Avoiding eye contact, Lexie took her hand from Chad's, so she could pull him off the couch. "No, Chad. I'm okay, and I need to get ready for work anyway. There's a lot I need to catch up on at the hospital."

Chad kept his weight on the couch but allowed Lexie to push him in a way so that he was more open towards her. "Even if you go to work, I can't go find Will and just win him back. I've hit a few snags in my plan, so I'm giving Will space. He's upset with me."

Lexie took her seat on the couch once again and gave Chad a worried look. Taking his hand and patting it, she warned, "Of course he's upset with you, but don't give Will too much space. Let him know how you feel."

Chad sighed and pictured what he wished he could do with Will at this moment. He decided to share what he was imagining, "I wish I could hold Will again like I used to."

As much as she wanted to give her baby brother a genuine smile, she had to force one because the sadness of her situation was too much. She wished she could hold Abe, too. Keeping the focus on her brother, she said, "You can make it a reality, Chad."

Chad gave Lexie an uneasy smile. "It's going to take some time."

"I'd wish you luck, but I know you don't need it," Lexie responded as she stood up again. She was ready to escape again. "Go. Do what you need to do. I promise I am fine."

Chad watched his sister closely and decided not to push her anymore on Abe and how she was feeling. "Okay. If you need me, call me."

Lexie nodded her head in agreement.

* * *

At the Brady Pub, Will and Ezra found a table near the bar. Taking a seat, Will continued to feel weird about living in Salem again. "Thanks for taking me to lunch," he said as he looked the place over. "I hope my great-grandma is around."

"I'm sure she is. When I come for lunch, she's usually around," Ezra commented. "I know I asked you about it on Sunday, but have you given any thought to participating in indoor soccer?"

Will leaned in on the table and lifted his shoulders because he didn't have a reason not to participate. "I'll do it. I have a bit more time on my hands now. When does it start?"

"We'll meet at my place after the semester starts."

Even though it made sense for soccer to start after the semester started, Will wished it started sooner. He needed to keep himself distracted from the disappointment he felt. "Can we start practicing early?"

Caroline walked out after a worker informed her Will had arrived. She was really confused because Will was supposed to be in Chicago. "Will, what are you doing in Salem? This is a nice surprise!"

Will gave Caroline a hug and tried not to make his return a big deal. "I finished my internship early, so now I'm focusing on the next semester of school."

Caroline's eyes got smaller as she tried to read her great-grandson. "I hope everything is okay."

Will gave a convincing smile as he shared, "Everything will be fine."

Making her way to the table, Caroline patted Ezra on the back. "I'll get you two some grub. How is Abigail doing, Ezra?"

With an awkward grin, Ezra replied, "I believe she is fine, Mrs. Brady. I'll tell her you asked about her when I see her."

"Be sure that you do," Caroline doted. "I will be quick with your food!"

Will gave Ezra a wondering look after Caroline headed to the back. "What was that about?"

Ezra tried to laugh about it, but the fact that Abigail was trying to avoid him kept him from doing so. Pointing to the back with his thumb, he explained, "Your great-grandma thought Deveraux and I were a couple because we come here together a lot."

Will was fully aware that Ezra was into his cousin and questioned aloud, "Why isn't that the case yet? Are you second guessing yourself?"

Ezra wished it was that simple. "No," he sighed. "I think Deveraux doesn't like me in that way. I thought she did."

It was rare to see Ezra down about anything. Since he and Ezra were so close, Will had witnessed it before, but he also knew Ezra wasn't one to ever give up or back down. Giving his friend a nudge, he commented, "I doubt that will make you stop trying."

Ezra quickly smiled and grabbed Will's hand. "You know me so well, Horton."

Sending her brother another text, Melanie made her way into the pub. After spotting Will and Ezra, she headed over and took a seat. "I'm supposed to meet Nicholas here for lunch, but I can't reach him now. The weather is really nice today. I hope it's okay that I sat here. You don't mind if I join you, right?" She was clearly somewhere else with how she jumped from one thing to the next.

This was the first time Will had seen Melanie since his return. He had seen her at Victor and Maggie's wedding, but he knew she was aware that he headed out to Chicago Monday morning. "Sure, if you want to order something, you might want to let someone know. My great-grandma already got our order."

"Oh my gosh!" Melanie exclaimed as if she had opened her eyes for the first time. "You're here!" she continued. "Will, you're in Salem, and so is Chad. I saw him two nights ago getting yelled at by your mom! Is this is a coincidence?"

Will's eyes widened as he checked to make sure he heard correctly. "Wait. What?"

Melanie nodded her head as she confirmed. "I think it was Tuesday night. Chad walked in here and your mom went ballistic and told him to stay away from you. It was crazy to watch. I mean…"

Ezra could see the discomfort in Will's face at the mention of Chad. Even though Will claimed he no longer wanted Chad to have some power over him, Ezra knew Will couldn't let Chad go even after all this time. Interrupting Melanie's ramblings, he shared, "Actually, Chad's return is the reason he got fired from his internship."

"What?!" Melanie exclaimed clearly floored.

With a sigh, Will confirmed it. "He showed up and screwed things up at the studio, and now I'm here. He's trying to win me back or something." Will looked away realizing his friends didn't know the full story. Though he felt bad about it, he wanted to keep it that way.

Melanie gave Will a worried look as she remembered her conversation with Sonny earlier that week. "Are you going to let that happen?"

Will couldn't believe they were having this conversation. He didn't enjoy the fact that this was the question everyone had on their mind. Instead of answering Melanie's question directly, he covered, "Even with the firing, I'm finally in a good place. I will not let anyone or anything ruin that."

Melanie began to slap Will's and Ezra's hands as an idea came to her. "Oh! I know what we should do tonight! It's karaoke night! We should go and let out our frustration about Chad's homecoming. I mean, he finally comes back and then finds another way to screw you over!"

Melanie's enthusiasm was starting to weird Will out. With a skeptical look upon his face, he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know..."

"Don't question it," Ezra directed Will. "I think Mel's onto something. You told me last night that you want to forget Chad and not allow him to have this power over you. We could use tonight to help you get the closure you need to move on completely."

Melanie grabbed Will's hand again. "Yes... this is perfect. That can be our theme tonight! Please say yes. Let us do this for you!"

Will thought the idea was a long shot, but the looks on his friends' faces were undeniable. Taking a deep breath, he nodded his head to Melanie and Ezra, who became even more ecstatic about the plan. "Okay. Let's do this. We just have to pick the perfect songs to sing."

"I'm sure there are tons," Ezra said through a smile. He took Will's hand to assure him he was doing the right thing.

* * *

Joselyn walked up to Chelsea, who was standing at the nurses' station in the hospital. "Hey Chelsea," she said while handing her a flier. "There's a conference coming up. We should go together."

Chelsea looked the flier over for all the details. "This actually looks interesting. I'd like to go, but that's the same weekend of my mom's wedding."

"Oh," Joselyn let out as she took the flier back from Chelsea. "I will go and let you know how it is then. How's the wedding coming along?"

Now that Chelsea and her mother worked things out and some time had passed since then, she could actually share in the excitement of her mother's wedding. "Things are kind of slow still, but I'm sure that will change soon when she and Frankie come here to get married. It's weird they're coming to Salem when they live in Paris."

"Maybe Salem gives them something that Paris doesn't – as questionable as that sounds," Joselyn quipped. She really liked hearing about Chelsea's family and craved more information. "I know you have siblings, but what about your mom? Does she have siblings?"

Chelsea didn't think anything of Joselyn's curiosity because she always seemed interested in everyone's families. "Yeah, she has quite a few. There's Austin, Lucas, Rex, and Cassie. I don't think I'm forgetting anyone... oh, she does have another brother. Philip."

"And Kate Dimera is her mother, correct?" Joselyn questioned for verification. After Chelsea nodded, she wondered aloud, "I haven't seen much of her recently."

Chelsea wasn't exactly sure why Kate was away a lot, but she had noticed it as well. "She has business out-of-town. I think she may be expanding or something," she answered. "Hopefully, that won't take much longer."

Joselyn nodded her head and commented, "It must be nice to have such a big family." After Chelsea agreed, she snuck in another question, "Who's your mom's dad?"

The latest question put a look of discomfort on Chelsea's face. She was not prepared to answer it and stumbled on giving her boss a response. "We... we don't really talk about him. He's dead now, but I never knew him. His name was Curtis."

"Oh," Joselyn released with some regret. She did not want Chelsea to shut down on her, so she knew she needed to make amends for her curiosity. "I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. I guess I let my interest in family dynamics and relationships get in the way."

Chelsea quickly stepped in and assured, "Joselyn, don't worry. It was an innocent question, but like I said, I can't really tell you about him because the family just keeps their mouths shut when his name is brought up – at least around me."

Joselyn nodded her head and said, "That's fine. You don't have to explain." She decided to back off on talking about Chelsea's family for now. They could discuss it more at another time.

Wanting to avoid the awkwardness, Chelsea chose to return Joselyn's questions. "So tell me about your family." She believed she and Joselyn had arrived to a point where they could possibly be friends outside of work.

Joselyn's body twitched. Before she turned to Chelsea, she made sure to put a smile on her face to show she had no discomfort in sharing this. "I actually don't know much about my family because I was adopted. I don't have anything to do with my adopted parents though. Things were not good there."

Chelsea was surprised to hear Joselyn had been adopted as well. She questioned if her past experience with family is what got her into practicing family psychotherapy. "I don't know if you knew this, but..."

"Oh, your appointment is here," Joselyn purposely interrupted Chelsea. She knew what Chelsea was going to say, but she didn't want to delve deeper into her own past. Watching the woman walking with Theo closely, she claimed, "I don't recognize the woman with Theo."

Celeste and Theo walked up and greeted Chelsea and Joselyn. "Good afternoon."

Chelsea decided to introduce Joselyn to Celeste. "Joselyn, this is Celeste. She is Lexie's mother, and Theo's grandmother."

Before taking Joselyn's hand, Celeste shared, "Alexandra is planning on coming later today." When she took Joselyn's hand to shake it, something bizarre hit her hard.

"You ready to go, Theo?" Chelsea asked her client as she placed her hand on his back. After Theo nodded, Chelsea led him down the hall to her office leaving Celeste and Joselyn staring at each other.

Trying to read Joselyn, Celeste questioned, "Where are you from? Why are you here?"

The look on Celeste's face startled Joselyn. She took a step back as she tried to answer the woman's questions. "I'm a therapist here. My name is Joselyn Brown, and I... I have things I need to do – clients I need to call."

As Joselyn rushed down the hall, the bizarre feeling rushing through Celeste only increased. It hit its climax when a familiar sound rang in her ears. Turning around in fear, she realized why the sound was so familiar. The sound was a raven's call.

* * *

After having lunch with the kids, Sami exited the elevator at Dimera Enterprises and wiped the crumbs she found on her dress. She wished EJ could have joined them, but she knew he was really busy – so busy he made it home extremely late the night before. She didn't understand it, but she hoped things changed for them soon.

Arriving to her office, she went in and was welcomed by a surprise guest. Maddalena was inside waiting for her. Greeting EJ's aunt with a hug and kiss upon the cheek, she commented, "I hope this means you've realized I am family and can offer my help."

Maddalena gave Sami a pleased smile. She had an agenda, but with Sami's comment, another question took over her mind. "What is your vision for the family?" she randomly asked.

Sami was thrown and admitted, "I'm not sure how to respond to such a big question."

Maddalena gave Sami a playful look as she claimed, "I will help you discover your answer in that case. When did you realize you and EJ were meant to be husband and wife?"

Sami scrunched her face unsure of how to respond to Maddalena's game of twenty random questions. "That's difficult to answer as well because I think I always knew EJ and I were meant to be but I tried to fight it for the longest time."

Maddalena waited patiently for Sami to carry on.

After a moment of silence, Sami continued, "The first time I met EJ, I was trying to be with someone else, and we became friends. I found out who he was and rejected him. We both made mistakes and assumptions during that time." A smile appeared on Sami's face as she thought of the long history between her and her husband. "I also remember when EJ and I connected through these love letters we found. They were love letters between EJ's grandfather, Santo, and my great-aunt, Colleen. I believe that was the first time I realized EJ and I could possibly be soul mates."

Before Sami could say anything else, Maddalena stopped her from continuing down memory lane because she needed to hear more about the letters. "Did you say you have letters between my father and Colleen Brady? Do you still have them?"

Sami was about to answer, but EJ walked in to talk to his wife about the night before. He felt bad for not delivering Chad's proposal to her as he promised, but he also felt worse because he wouldn't be able to give her the full truth of what happened the night before. Seeing his aunt, he immediately was sidetracked. "I had no idea you were here, zia."

Maddalena turned to her nephew and greeted him with a kiss. "I came because I have something to discuss with Sami."

Confused to why Maddalena would come to Sami, EJ scratched his head and inquired, "What about?"

Sami believed she already had the answer to EJ's question and shared with a smile, "Maddalena wants to know about our past. I don't know how much detail she wants, but I've made sure not to talk about all the bloodshed."

"Actually, I didn't come to you to discuss your history with my nipote here," Maddalena stated erasing the smile from Sami's face. "I came because I want to talk about my nipote, Alexandra."

EJ was more confused. "Why didn't you come to me about my sister?"

With gentleness, Maddalena explained, "Sami is on the hospital board. I am concerned and believe Dr. Horton should help her with her position as chief-of-staff. I want Sami to present this idea to the board without jeopardizing Lexie's position there."

EJ's face showed he had concern written on his face. While he wanted to make sure his sister was taken care of, he wondered if this was the right way to go about it. "I think we should talk to Lexie about it before anything is done to make sure we don't step on her toes."

Maddalena eyed Sami and EJ before stating, "Well, we must act quickly. I fear we do not have much time."

* * *

Nicole sat in the town square talking to her brother on the phone. He was trying to convince her to visit their mother in Chicago, but Nicole had no intention of doing that. "Brandon, I can't leave because I'm working. Work keeps me really busy with the stories I have to do."

"If you're busy, then I will ask mom if she's up to visit Salem," Brandon offered.

Nicole was not having that either. "No," she shot Brandon down. "I am trying to make a life for myself, and this is finally my chance. Tell mom we can Face Time or something."

Brandon was not impressed with his sister's lack of concern for Fay even though Nicole believed he should be used to it by now. "What story is so important that you don't have time to visit with your family?"

Nicole reflected on Lexie's request for her and Jack to look into Abe's death but knew she could not tell her brother that was the story. Instead, she stuck with one of the stories they were working on for next month. "Jack and I are working on a piece covering the costs of having a mayor who didn't always live in Salem"

Brandon wasn't impressed with the story Nicole was using to keep herself away from them. "Are you talking about EJ or did Salem get a new mayor?"

"We have a different mayor now, but we're doing a story on EJ and the one we have now," Nicole replied before asking, "Are you satisfied yet?"

"No," Brandon let out in frustration. "Have you talked to Lexie since yesterday? I tried to call her since it was a year after Abe die, but she didn't answer. I feel bad I haven't been on top of things when it comes to her and my brother."

Nicole's mouth opened wide as she realized just how disconnected she was with her own family. "Oh crap! I never called you yesterday even after the story aired! I'm sorry I didn't call you. Things were busy at the station, but I should have realized you needed me."

A sadness entered Brandon's voice as if he had lost his father all over again. "I think a part of me wants to believe he is still living his life in Salem because I don't live there. I can imagine that he's doing okay and changing the world, but it's dumb of me to be like that," he admitted.

Nicole sighed in failure. "That's not dumb."

"Will you please check in on Lexie and Theo for me?"

"Don't worry about it," Nicole replied hoping to give Brandon some comfort. "I'm on it."

Brandon thanked his sister before sharing he needed to get off the phone. After promising they'd talk soon and said their goodbyes, Nicole hung up the phone. She knew she needed to do better. Placing her phone in her purse, she stood up and looked around for Jack. She thought they were meeting there to talk about Lexie.

Fortunately for her, Nicole spotted Abigail, Sonny, and JJ walking in her direction. "Hey. Have either of you seen your father? I tried to call him earlier."

While Sonny was focused on his phone, Abigail pulled her hair back as she told Nicole, "He's with my mom. They're headed to the police station to talk about something."

Nicole quickly became exasperated because Jack had said nothing to her about going to the police. She questioned if he decided to talk with the cops about Abe's death without her. They hadn't even gotten all the details from Lexie yet. "Thanks for letting me know. I'd better stop him before he makes the biggest mistake in his life!"

Before Nicole could rush off, JJ moved and stood in her way. He was curious about something because his father and Nicole were spending a lot of time together. "Are you dating my dad?"

Nicole laughed at the thought and walked away without giving JJ an answer. She didn't think he was being serious, so she didn't feel bad for doing so. Shaking her head humorously, she didn't realize Eric was walking in front of her. As she grabbed her keys, she finally looked up in time to make eye contact with him.

Eric couldn't believe Nicole was actually in front of him. "Nicole?"

"Nope!" Nicole exclaimed as she put her hand in his face. "No talky-talky, Eric. Just ignore me because your life is better that way – trust me!" She kept her pace as she walked away.

Eric stood there for a moment to figure out what just happened. He was confused by Nicole's swift dismissal of him when it had been years since they had seen each other. Remembering why he came to the square in the first place, he headed over to the liquor store passing Abigail, Sonny, and JJ. He almost ran into Chad, who hid quickly when he spotted Eric.

Abigail's phone went off signaling she had received a text message. After reading it, she turned to Sonny and asked, "Melanie sent me a text about doing karaoke tonight." She had no idea Chad was eavesdropping on their conversation. "Do you want to go tonight? It's to support Will since he was fired from his internship."

Sonny, who had been glued to his phone since he met up with his cousins, checked and found he had a text message from Melanie as well and had missed it somehow. After opening and reading it, he decided, "I should go. I want to support Will because he needs closure from Chad."

JJ was intrigued by the thought of karaoke and wanted to partake as well. "Can I go? I want to be there for Will, too!"

"Sorry JJ," Abigail began. "You can't go. You're too young to be there."

Chad stayed back as he thought about the encouragement he received from Lexie. He knew she had a point when she told him not to give Will too much space, but he still questioned if he should for at least another day. Maybe that would be too long. He wondered what Sonny meant when he said Will needed closure from him. He decided he should find out.

* * *

Arriving to the police station, Jennifer and Jack found Bo, Hope, and Arianna waiting for them. Giving her cousin a hug, Jen said, "I hope you weren't waiting long."

"Not too long," Hope replied before giving a slight nod to Jack. "Thanks for coming in. We definitely need to run some things by you concerning a case we could be working on."

"Sure," Jack stated trying not to lose control over Colin again. "Are we going to talk about it out here?"

Bo shook his head and directed everyone towards a conference room. "We can talk in there so we have more privacy."

After everyone walked into the conference room, Arianna shut the door and took a seat among the others. "I don't know much about what happened with Colin since I became a cop after everything went down, so I may need you two to explain a few things."

"We asked Arianna to sit in on this because we thought a pair of fresh ears could help us," Hope explained before moving on. "Bo and I told you yesterday that Colin was trying to get out of prison by claiming he made the entire thing up to bring down Stefano."

Jumping the gun a bit, Jack interrupted Hope and claimed, "This makes no sense. Why would he set up Stefano? Those two have been in cahoots for the longest time – we all know that!"

Bo gave Jack a look to let him know he had been heard before further explaining, "He claims he did it for our family. He and Stefano have a complicated history apparently, and Colin has told me and my mother that he did it to keep Stefano away from us."

Hope continued, "We don't know the whole story really, but there seems to be hints of truth to his claims." Watching Jack and Jennifer carefully, she shared, "It's possible Colin may go before a judge soon because there have been a lot of rumblings in the judicial system about Colin. People seem to believe him."

"He's lying." Jennifer finally spoke up.

Arianna turned her attention to Jen and asked, "And how do you know he's lying?"

Jennifer took a deep breath before laying it out. "The same day Colin had finished working on Abe and was escorted out of the hospital, he made sure a DVD was delivered to my house. In that DVD, Colin admitted that he was the one who held Jack hostage in Europe somewhere. He knew things he couldn't have known if he made this up."

When everyone looked to Jack to verify what Jen shared, he echoed what Jen said. "He admitted to it. It was all right there. His confession and everything."

Arianna wasn't completely satisfied with what Jack and Jen said, so she pushed for clarification. "Did Colin actually confess to being involved with Stefano and Abe Carver's attack on video?"

Jennifer thought back to the video. It had been so long since they had seen it, and she couldn't remember everything Colin had said. Turning to Jack, she asked, "Do you remember?"

Jack rubbed the top of his head as he tried to recall everything Colin said. "We saw the video in January 2012 – after his arrest. I think he mentioned Abe's and Will's names. Yeah, I believe he did because he claimed a solution was used on me just like Abe and Will."

Hope grew concerned that this was the first she had heard of any of this. "Are you serious? Jack, have you gotten checked out like Will? Will is going to the hospital once a month to make sure he stays healthy."

Shaking his head, Jack said, "No. I didn't think about it, and I feel just fine."

"You're feeling fine. That's peachy," Bo stated clearly annoyed they hadn't brought up Colin's confession before. "Let's return to this DVD that Colin sent you. Do you still have it? We could use it to prove he's been lying to us, and if he incriminates Stefano that could change things for us as well."

Jack turned to Jennifer as he tried to remember what happened that night. He remembered hugging the kids, but after that he didn't remember much of anything. "I don't think I grabbed it. Did you Jen?"

Jen thought back to that night. After Daniel left, she headed into the kitchen to put up the food she made for dinner because no one was going to eat after the fall out of Colin's speech. Then she remembered something else. "I remember walking into the living room after JJ and Abigail went to bed. The TV screen was still on, and I turned it off. I never took the DVD out of the player. It should still be at the house."

Torn, Arianna didn't know what to make of the DVD because she didn't believe Stefano was guilty – especially with the evidence Lexie and EJ produced to them the summer before. She needed to see it to be sure. "It would be great if you..."

Suddenly, Nicole burst through the door with a look of betrayal on her face. She had convinced herself that Jack went behind her back and approached the police about their investigation into Abe's death. "Really, Jack? You're going to come here without me? You know I'm a part of this! Jen isn't your partner in crime anymore!"

Arianna stood up and gave Nicole a dirty look due to the way she barged in and interrupted a private conversation. "Who do you think you are, and what the hell are you talking about?"

"Yeah, Nicole, what are you talking about?" Hope seconded.

Before Nicole could say anything else, Jack swiftly stepped in. "She knows I came here to talk about Colin, and since she has her own past with the man, she wanted to give her two cents on him. I told her not to come in."

A sheepish look fell on Nicole's face as she realized Jack didn't come here for their investigation and then remembered how Bo called to talk to Jack about Colin. "Right," she said after what felt like a long pause. "Colin is a bastard and even though he helped us get off that island years ago, I still don't trust him."

"Thanks, Nicole. I will talk to you at work tomorrow," Jack said to excuse her from the room.

Nicole nodded her head, but before she could leave Bo requested, "Nicole, we'd like to hear more about Colin when you have the chance."

"Of course," Nicole agreed reluctantly. "Until then," she quipped before leaving the room.

As Jennifer gave Jack a confused look, Jack turned back to the cops hoping everyone would dismiss everything that just happened with Nicole. "So where were we?"

Getting back on track, Arianna returned to the instructions she had for Jack and Jen. "You should bring that DVD to the station ASAP. You should have given it to us when you first viewed it."

Jack nodded his head and turned to Jen. "We can do that. We want to make sure Colin stays in prison, so he can't hurt anyone else."

Bo stood up to signal they were done talking for now. "I hope you find that DVD, and if you can remember anything else, don't hesitate to call us."

Jack and Jen nodded their heads as Hope spoke next. "Jack, you should get yourself checked out just in case."

After saying their goodbyes, Jen and Jack walked out of the police station. Jen couldn't let go of Nicole's strange behavior when she barged into the conference room. She recognized Jack knew something and wanted to keep quiet. Turning to Jack, she interrogated him. "What are you and Nicole hiding and what did she mean by partner?"

Even though he knew Jen could be just as bad about not dropping things, Jack simply shook his head. "You can't know. It's not any of your business."

Jen stopped in her tracks as Jack continued to walk to the car. She studied him and wondered why she wasn't allowed to know what he and Nicole were doing. She pondered the idea that Nicole and Jack were together.

* * *

Breathing deeply to calm her nerves, Lexie roamed the halls of the hospital for her office. Even though Chad had helped her release a lot of the pent-up frustration within her, she still struggled. It was just easier to conceal – at least that's what it seemed like for her. Nearing her office, she bumped into Nathan as he walked out of his.

"Whoa, Lexie. What are you doing here so late?" Nathan questioned.

Lexie made a gesture to show Nathan she was happy to be there. "I cannot stay away from this place. I have a lot of work to make up since I missed so much this week."

Nathan sensed a lightness in Lexie he hadn't seen in a long time. Pleasantly surprised, he offered, "If you need help let me know. I saw your aunt yesterday for her appointment, and she shared her concern."

Concern? It was harder for Lexie to maintain her smile. She forgot she had an appointment with Maddalena the day before and wondered what her aunt said to Nathan. It had been some time since she had seen or talked to Maddalena. "What did she say to you?"

Noting a slight shift in Lexie, Nathan thought back to the conversation with the Dimera matriarch. He didn't want to keep her in the dark because he believed it would be counterproductive if he did. "She overheard someone talking about you and asked me about it. She suggested that I should step in and help you with your duties as chief-of-staff like Daniel did last year. Of course..."

Anger quickly filled Lexie as she cut Nathan off. "That won't be necessary. You don't need to worry about me, Dr. Horton. I'm more than capable of doing this job." Before Nathan could cut in, Lexie dismissed him by saying, "Have a good night." She headed into her office.

Dumbstruck for a moment, Nathan couldn't get over how quick Lexie's demeanor changed. He questioned if he should have told her what Maddalena said at all. Things weren't right, and he felt an obligation to step up now.

Soon after, Melanie arrived and greeted him with a hug and kiss. "Are you ready? I told Kai I'd pick you and him up to head to karaoke tonight. Have you seen him?"

Nathan gave Melanie a smile forgetting what just happened with Lexie for a moment. Trying to catch up on everything Melanie said and asked, he finally replied, "I have not seen Kai yet, and I was ready to go, but I can't go anymore because things are so stacked here."

"What?" Melanie reacted instantly, but when she saw the look in her husband's eyes, she could tell he was really stressed. Coming in with a softer tone, she rubbed his shoulder. "Are you sure you can't at least make an appearance tonight?"

Nathan gave Melanie a sad look before kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry, babe. I need to be here for Lexie because she's self-destructing. I want to make sure she doesn't mess up, and I need to protect her. I can join everyone for karaoke another night."

Melanie took hold of her husband's hand. "I understand," she relinquished feeling bad for him.

Kai, who was dressed to go to the bar, walked up wondering if he was interrupting a moment. "Sorry, I had clothes to change in here," he said. "I'm ready to go when you two are set."

Nathan turned to Kai and corrected him, "You two are going. I am sticking around here, so please keep an eye on my wife for me."

After Kai agreed, Nathan gave Melanie one last kiss before returning to his office. Thinking it was weird how Nathan decided to stick around, Kai asked, "Does Nathan know why we're singing tonight?"

Regret hit Melanie even though she felt she did the right thing. "I did not," she admitted remembering how she sent her husband a different text from the others. "He needs to be here, and I know if I told him it would only make his day worse. By the way, he doesn't need any distractions. We should go."

Nathan sat behind his desk trying to figure out what he could do since he was sticking around. He hoped Melanie wasn't upset with him for staying but figured it wasn't that big of a deal since they went to karaoke quite a bit. Opening a drawer, he looked through it for something he could work on, but a knock at his door startled him.

EJ stood just outside of Nathan's office. Entering the room, he declared, "We need to talk, Dr. Horton."

* * *

After dinner and putting the kids to bed, Eric and Sami took a seat on the couch at the Dimera mansion. Eric opened the bottle of wine he bought and poured two glasses. Taking a sip of the wine, Sami gave her brother an impressed look. "You picked a good bottle there, Eric."

After drinking from his glass, Eric continued the safe small talk by joking, "Brady warned me about stepping foot into this place, and now with how great dinner tasted, I don't want to leave."

"The dinner is keeping you here?" Sami laughed. "I bet Brady thinks it's poisoned with evil or something," she added shaking her head.

After the laughing died down, things quickly became uncomfortable again. With the kids around during dinner, Eric and Sami could avoid the real issue between them, but now that they were alone, it was definitely harder. Eric looked forward, away from Sami, and continued to sip on his wine in silence. He wasn't sure how to bring up their distance without it being awkward.

Sami knew she needed to help things, so she leaned on her twin brother causing Eric to face her. With a smile on her face, she said, "I'm happy you have moved back to Salem."

Eric figured this was his chance to segue into the serious conversation, but still did not approach it with much tact. "Are you sure you really feel that way about me moving back? I remember what you said to me after you married EJ two years ago."

It was hard containing herself after Eric brought up something against her, but Sami managed not to become defensive. "Eric, I understand your questioning me because I did say a lot to you when EJ informed me that you were asking about Nicole as if you were interested."

Eric raised his eyebrows reflecting on how naïve he was to think EJ wouldn't have told Sami that he was asking about Nicole the night of his bachelor party. "You're right, Sami. You did say a lot," he jested with her somewhat even though he was serious. "I can rehash everything you said to me because I remember it quite well actually."

Sami rolled her eyes and tried to stop her brother from continuing by placing her hand on his shoulder. "That won't be necess..."

"Eric, you moving to Colorado was the best and worst thing for you," Eric began in a voice mimicking his sister's. He continued in his _Sami_ voice, "You need to stay out of Salem in case Nicole ever comes back. I don't want you to get caught in her nasty whorish web again. She will eat you up and spit you out just like she did before. I can't believe you are asking about Nicole because the woman catastrophically ruined your life and pushed you away from me, your twin sister. We have a connection and don't you think I know what is best for you. Trust me. Nicole is not what is best for you. You're better off single than with a nasty trash troll like Nicole!"

Even though Eric was making fun of her, Sami managed to chuckle at the spectacle he was making. "Oh, God. Eric I did not say that word-for-word."

"That's debatable," Eric released with a smirk.

Sami playfully hit her brother in the arm as she explained, "I was worried because it's been years since the Nicole debacle and for you to bring her up after all that time – I wondered if it meant you were never going to move on. You deserve so much better, and she doesn't deserve any of your time ever again."

Eric sighed because Sami was giving him the same excuses he had heard before. In his regular voice, he admitted, "The reason I didn't tell you about my plans to move here – especially when Nicole returned to Salem – is because I didn't want another lecture. I stopped talking to you, and unfortunately, my decision helped create a distance between us."

Sami knew she had given her reasons multiple times, but she really needed him to hear her. "I'm sorry, Eric. I couldn't understand, and well, I still cannot understand how you still feel connected to Nicole. The history between you two screams you two should stay away from each other."

Eric hated that his sister didn't trust him enough, so he threw something back at her. "Well, that's interesting coming from you considering your past with EJ. And hey, you are the one who introduced Nicole and me."

"Don't remind me," Sami whined as she grabbed her head. Dropping her hand so she could give Eric a loving look, she confessed, "I still despise Nicole for what she did to you, but I am happy you have returned to Salem – despite Nicole's being back as well."

Eric couldn't help but smile at Sami's confession and decided to put her to the test. "Did I tell you I ran into Nicole today?"

Just as Eric expected, Sami jumped up clearly reeling at what he just shared and demanded more information. "I need details, Eric. What was said? Did she hurt you?"

Eric casually stood up from the couch and played it cool while his sister only became antsier in anticipation. "I'll give you the details of my rendezvous with Nicole after you answer one question for me."

Sami stood up and joined her brother. "Shoot."

"With the knowledge that I ran into Nicole at the Horton Town Square – I'll give you that tidbit – do you still feel happy about me being here?" Eric asked half expecting Sami to say no.

But Sami surprised Eric when she stated, "Of course I'm still happy you're here. Seeing you like this has been amazing, and I honestly don't know how I allowed you to stay in Colorado for so long."

Eric raised his right eyebrow and questioned, "So you were the decision maker in whether I stayed in Colorado or not?"

Sami playfully hit her twin in the arm again. "Eric, I answered your question, so give me the details."

Satisfied, Eric paused a moment while placing a smile on his face. He finally shared, "Nothing really happened because Nicole blew me off when we bumped into each other. She told me I should stay away."

"What a bitch," Sami let out in frustration.

Eric's eyes widened at Sami's reaction and commented, "Nicole really can't win with you, huh?"

Getting Eric's point, Sami laughed as she shrugged her shoulders. "I guess she can't. I mean, she is Nicole," she argued putting a smile on her brother's face.

Before Eric and Sami could get to their official apologies, EJ entered the room giving his own. "I am sorry for interrupting your twin moment, but I just got back from the hospital."

Sami knew EJ's reason for going to the hospital and approached him. "What happened?"

EJ took Sami's hand and held it close to him. "I talked to Dr. Horton. I'm worried about my sister. Something needs to be done soon."

Sami glanced over to her brother to make sure he was okay before returning her focus to her husband. "Did you actually talk to Lexie while you were there?"

Shaking his head, EJ explained, "I did not talk to Alexandra because Nathan warned me she wanted to be left alone for the night. I think we should talk to her this weekend – invite her to dinner or another family gathering."

"I'm sure we can figure something out," Sami encouraged before looking at her brother. "Eric can come over as well."

* * *

At Martha's Sports Grille, Melanie and Will rejoined the table after submitting their songs for karaoke night. Kai, Brett, Dustin, and Sonny were still looking through the songbook to decide what ex-boyfriend inspired song they were going to sing to support Will. Melanie gave Will a hug as she shared, "Nathan wishes he could be here, but things are really busy at the hospital tonight."

Will gave Melanie an understanding smile. "I hope he doesn't feel bad. He's saving lives."

Dustin looked up at the karaoke stage because this was going to be the first time he actually sang in front of everyone even though he had come to karaoke night before. He commented, "I wish I could sing and play the drums at the same time. I'd probably feel more comfortable up there."

Brett took Dustin's hand surprised by his statement. "You play the drums?"

Dustin nodded his head confidently. "Yeah. I haven't really played in a band since high school, but I know how to handle a couple of sticks."

Brett blushed as he leaned into Dustin. "Oh yeah you do. I love that we both play percussion instruments."

After running into each other in the parking lot, Abigail, Nicholas, and Ezra walked over to the table. Ezra tried to tell her something about Caroline and the Brady Pub, but Abigail didn't want to hear it. She tried to keep things less awkward with him, but it was hard because of the way he looked at her. Focusing on the others, she asked "So who's singing what so far?"

Will walked up and greeted Abigail and Ezra. He didn't hear his cousin's question. "Hey. Thanks for coming out to support me. I actually have something I need to give to the both of you." Pulling out a card from his pocket, he handed it to Abigail and explained, "On my way back to Salem, I sat next to the mayor. She really wants to meet with the both of you about the story you two did on her before she became mayor. She wants to show her gratitude I guess."

Ezra and Abigail traded awkward looks. He hoped they would be over this by now, but they weren't. "I guess we can figure out a time when we can meet with her. I wonder why she wants to thank us in person though."

Abigail gave the card to Ezra to look over. "Your guess is as good as mine. We can talk later. Let's just focus on singing our hearts out tonight." Turning back to Will, she pulled up her camera bag. "If you're okay with it, I thought I would take some pics. If they aren't any good, we can burn them."

Will nodded his head and encouraged, "I'm sure they'll be great."

Melanie approached her brother while giving him a suspicious look. "What the crap, Nicholas? Where have you been all day?"

Nicholas showed his discomfort through the shift in his body. "Sorry, I had an emergency meeting at Titan," he claimed awkwardly.

Melanie caught on that Nicholas did not want to say anything else about the meeting, so she pulled him aside and asked, "Was it about my dad?"

Nicholas immediately shook his head while shifting his posture once again. "No, it didn't involve your dad at all."

Melanie wasn't sure if she believed her brother. Knowing this wasn't the time or place, she said, "I need to talk to you, but not here because there's too much going on."

Nicholas nodded his head figuring she wanted to talk more about Daniel. He hated having to lie to his sister about what Victor asked him to do. Fortunately, the tense moment was interrupted when the karaoke DJ called Melanie up to sing _Jar of Hearts_ by Christina Perri. Offering his hand for a high-five, Nicholas cheered, "You're going to kill that song out there."

Melanie gave her brother a high-five and headed up on stage. When she took the mic, she looked towards her friends and said, "I dedicate this to my dear friend, Will. May you keep your heart."

Will tried his best to keep his focus on Melanie as she began to sing, but his nerves got the best of him. Turning to the others around the table, he gulped, "I'm next, and I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I can go up there and sing the song I picked."

Ezra stepped in to help alleviate Will's nervousness. "Will, you have a great voice. I'm sure you will slay whatever song you picked."

Sonny agreed with Ezra and patted Will on the back. "You need to do this Will, so you can get past all the Chad drama. Don't let him bring you down anymore."

"I understand what you're saying, but..." Will paused because he felt so vulnerable in front of his friends and knew when he hit that stage it would be in front of everyone in the bar. He continued, "I'm afraid I will get lost in the emotions of the song because it's how I feel at this moment."

Kai leaned in on the table and reminded Will, "That's the point, right? Don't let everyone in this room stop you from what you need to do."

Brett looked across the room and commented, "Melanie is out there singing for you and everyone really has no idea why. They don't know what's going on with you, and it doesn't really matter. We're here for you and we're all going to sing depressing Christina Perri songs."

Sonny raised his hand as he claimed, "I'm singing something by Bruno Mars."

Brett's gaze suddenly stopped on two of Chad's friends while the tone of his voice changed. "Fucking Michelle and Beth are here again. They're always showing up with their judgmental looks when they won't even get up and sing themselves. I'm going to yell at them, so they'll leave."

Kai quickly tried to stop Brett from doing anything. "Cool it, bro," he let out before turning Dustin. "You might want to keep a hand on your man."

But it was too late. Melanie had started the second verse and Brett had made his way to Beth and Michelle's table. "What the fuck is your problem?"

Michele and Beth glanced at each other because they had no idea why Brett had approached them. Deciding she wasn't in the mood, Michelle stood up and echoed his question, "What the fuck is your problem? Beth and I are trying to enjoy ourselves here and have done nothing wrong."

As Dustin placed his hands on Brett's shoulder to calm him down, Brett informed Michele and Beth the issue he had with them. "You two come to karaoke night all the time, but you never sing. You only watch to make fun of everyone who does. I see the way you two watch everyone and whisper during performances. Stop being judgmental bitches and show us how talented you are. I bet you two suck ass."

Beth had enough now and stood up. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Brett. Stop being an idiotic jerk because you're assuming you know everything here. It wouldn't hurt if you asked us what was really going on before yelling and cussing us out. You're such a drama queen."

Having enough, Michelle took Beth's hands and said, "Let's just get out of here. I don't really want to deal with this."

Dustin held Brett back as Michelle and Beth left. "Cool it, Brett. Are you alright?"

Brett sighed heavily and gave Dustin an apologetic look. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, but I wanted to make sure they weren't around when Will took the stage. He doesn't need judgmental people looking at him while he sings."

Dustin caressed Brett's face as he pointed out, "You're sweet and you're passionate. That's why I like you so much. Let's get back to our table."

While Melanie was singing the last chorus of the song, Chad entered the bar carefully after almost running into Michelle and Beth outside. Looking around the corner of a booth, he spotted Will with the others. He chose to keep his distance because he didn't want to make a scene. A part of him feared he would get ambushed for what he did to Will since they were there to support Will. His eyes turned towards the stage and realized what song Melanie was singing. She had quite the voice on her.

After Melanie finished, the DJ announced Will would be singing _Gravity_ by Sara Bareilles. As Will switched places with Melanie, Kai didn't waste any time yelling, "Screw Chad! Don't let him back in your life!"

Remembering what he overheard at the square, Chad put two and two together and realized the group were singing songs against him. "That's why Melanie sang _Jar of Hearts_," he whispered to himself. He wasn't familiar with Will's song choice though, but he figured the song was against him. He feared what Will thought about him.

Will sang with great vulnerability:

_Something always brings me back to you.  
__It never takes too long.  
__No matter what I say or do  
__I'll still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone._

_You hold me without touch.  
__You keep me without chains.  
__I never wanted anything so much  
__Than to drown in your love and not feel your reign._

_Set me free; leave me be.  
__I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity.  
__Here I am, and I stand so tall  
__Just the way I'm supposed to be,  
__But you're on to me and all over me._

_You loved me 'cause I'm fragile.  
__When I thought that I was strong.  
__But you touch me for a little while  
__And all my fragile strength is gone._

_Set me free; leave me be.  
__I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity.  
__Here I am, and I stand so tall  
__Just the way I'm supposed to be,  
__But you're on to me and all over me._

_I live here on my knees  
__As I try to make you see  
__That you're everything I think I need –  
__Here on the ground.  
__But you're neither friend nor foe  
__Though I can't seem to let you go.  
__The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down.  
__You're keeping me down, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah  
__You're on to me, on to me, and all over…_

_Something always brings me back to you,  
__It never takes too long._

Hearing and understanding the lyrics that Will just sang devastated Chad greatly. Did Will really believe every word he just sang? Did he really feel powerless around Chad to the point that he felt he was regressing as a person? With as many questions running in his head, Chad also had realizations hit him. Will was afraid of him because Chad had this negative power over him. He brought Will to the ground and stopped him from believing in himself. That's not what Chad was trying to do, but Will felt it.

Will wanted Chad out because he wanted to stand tall. He wanted to be set free from the misery Chad put him through. Chad desperately wanted Will to feel strong and capable of doing anything he wanted to do. He didn't want to keep Will down anymore. It was all very overwhelming for Chad. Turning towards the bar, he spotted all the alcoholic drinks surrounding him and began to panic. He wanted to escape this honest misery he felt in his heart, but he closed his eyes so he wouldn't give into temptation. He needed to get out of there.

As everyone applauded Will while he walked off the stage, Abigail turned her head and spotted Chad near the door. He was leaving. She needed to act fast. Chasing after him outside, she got to him before he could get to his beat-up truck. "Chad. What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she shouted.

Chad stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around to face Abigail.

"Are you seriously here right now?" Abigail continued. She was furious because this was the first time she had seen him since he supposedly returned to Salem. "Where have you been this whole time? You really messed things up, and now you have the nerve to come back only to make things worse for Will. Are you even capable of love? Do you remember the things you said to me when you broke up with me? You claimed he was worth it!"

Abigail paused for a moment hoping Chad would give her some answers, but he stood still and quiet. "What is wrong with you? Why won't you turn around and look at me? Are you scared to face everything you did when you left Salem?"

Chad's heart hurt as he remembered his claim to Velvet when he told her he was leaving Texas. He told her he was facing his future, but now he was running away again. Wiping his face, he slowly turned around to look at Abigail. His face showed how torn he was about everything. With gravity, Chad begged, "Please don't tell Will I was here. I don't want to hurt him anymore."

Abigail stood back clearly fazed by Chad's demeanor. She had so much more she planned to say to him so he would know how much he hurt everyone when he left, but she could tell he was already aware of what he had done. Moving her hair from her face, she watched Chad get into his truck. As he started his truck and drove off, she questioned if she should tell Will about Chad witnessing his performance. She felt horrible for everyone involved.


End file.
